The Familiar from Westeros
by Man with Illusions
Summary: In different times in two worlds. When a great house was ready to crumble under the weight of the enemy, their king was saved from execution when he was transported to another world by a young magician. He was taken to the world and given the mantle of Familiar. Now, slighted from his own position, he intends to show what kind of warrior he is in order to get higher in the world.
1. Episode 1 of act 1: New lives

The sun emerged in the skies; cloudless and warm, with a hint that today was the day that the student's magic will be put to the test. The students came out from their class with their teacher outside to a emerald grass plain to try and summon their very own familiars, and a little girl was among the class, nervous but excited that this time the spell might work.

Louise Francoise was a young woman of miniature size, strawberry-pink hair stirring in the wind, eyes that glittered under the sun and a very smooth completion that made her look younger than her age of seventeen. There was a delightful cast in her amber eyes today; she was extremely determined to succeed in her goal.

Louise, whose family had created many powerful and famous mages for decades, there was nothing more nervous than the situation that is occurring. Every single spell she had ever cast in her life had always ended up in a devastating explosion that ends up almost getting people getting hurt or killed. Even though it showed she did indeed have magical powers within her, she was far from becoming a mage. She still has to get used to the basics before she was ready.

The young girl did not share in the enthusiasm her fellow second-year classmates radiated today as they conversed about what kind of magnificent or amazing familiars they would summon. She was more worried about the prospect of her coming failure; her head was thumping with thoughts of the consequences of failing this sacred ritual and the image of her very angry mother filled her with perpetual dread. She was so deep in thought; she was trailing behind the group at a much slower pace.

She had done extensive research on the Springtime Familiar Summoning for nearly an entire week and so knew the theories inside-out: the best magic circle was a simple one with just the pentagram - as any other additional runes could skew the calculations, the magic was mostly performed by the magic circle itself and the caster only needed to feed it Willpower, the ritual would look for the best fit familiar that greatly represented the potential or need for their master, and so forth. Louise Francoise could easily recall any of this information at a moment's notice.

But, despite all her preparation, that did not necessarily mean that she was ready for it at all. She made a fake smug and waved her cloak behind her when it got in her way.

"Ah, here we are," Jean Colbert, a middle-aged balding man that wore glasses and an ornate robe, said as he turned around to face his following students with a smile that was clearly faked, "Everybody knows what to do, correct?" They nodded. "Then the best of luck to all of you! Now then, Class, who would like to go first?"

Louise Francoise watched with growing nervousness, and a tinge of envy in the other students, as the number of waiting students dwindled and the number of master and familiar pairs increased. They all had something in common: they all had more successful magical powers. A majority of her classmates had called forth regular animals, such as cats, dogs, birds, or snakes, but a couple of them had summoned some more intriguing creatures - of particular note, Kirche went and had summoned a fire-attribute salamander and Tabitha, the academy's top student, had summoned a wind-attribute dragon that stunned everyone with envy.

Even though she was not competing with Tabitha, Louise Francoise couldn't help but panic. She was under no delusion that she was going to summon anything as impressive as a dragon, manticore, or griffon; she was well aware that she would be extremely lucky to be able to summon anything at all.

"Has everybody summoned their familiar?" Jean hummed some more as he rechecked the list.

The Valliere squeaked like a mouse as she was suddenly pushed forward by a fellow student, "Not everybody, sir. Louise hasn't taken her turn yet," and shrunk as she became the center of attention.

"Ah, Miss Valliere, please start whenever you're ready," the teacher casually stated.

Louise Francoise nervously trotted towards a dry plot of grass before she knelt down and carved a magic circle into the ground with her browning wand. She worked slowly and majestically as the reality of her situation sunk in deeper: it was her turn to summon a familiar and failure was not an option this day. She wanted to avoid punishment from her mother and beat the smug look off her rival... but what she needed was proof that she was indeed a mage and not some child wanting to play wizard. If she could not summon a familiar then she had no right to call herself a noble.

The results of this day would determine the course of the rest of her life and that utterly frightened her. She had little confidence in her success; she will be ashamed for the rest of her life if she messed up her summoning.

"Miss Valliere, are you ready?" The voice of her teacher brought her back into the present.

"Y-Yes, Professor Colbert, I'm ready," she replied. The balding man merely nodded in affirmation, despite him getting closer to the students.

The strawberry-haired girl made one last check on her magic circle, 'Perfect,' she told herself, 'It's definitely perfect,' and stood up. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to relax her body and calm her nerves as she spread open her arms and waved her wand. She recited her self-created magic-verse in her head several times whilst she cleared her throat and licked her lips.

The girl mustered every single courage, confidence, and willpower that she had and chanted as clearly as possible, trying her best to not do anything to mess up her chance.

"Please, my servant that is somewhere in this world... The sacred, beautiful, and, above-all-else, powerful familiar... I ask of you: hear and answer my call!"

The air stilled for a moment. Then - without warning - suddenly exploded in a loud roar twice and veiled the field in smoke and dust. Even the students who were standing far back were touched and buffeted by the furious winds and rumbling earth; Louise Francoise herself - being closer to the center- felt the very ground squirm as she fell flat on her bottom.

* * *

The climate of the North didn't change at all, foggy and cold, but with a new sudden heat to it that showed the signs of battle that had raged outside of Winterfell. The battle was in the rulers of the mighty capital of Winterfell's favour. The king of the other army was strewed all over the forest from the fields, with their flaming stag being torn down. A single fearless warrior led his army in a final attempt to defeat the other's army, and the results were obvious, the ruler of Winterfell just had the upper hand.

King Stannis Baratheon was stumbling crudely across the forest, badly bloodied and tired from fighting the Bolton army still at large. He was hanging on for his life with every strength he had in his soul. His head thumped and thumped at every moment of thought. A migraine was building up when he had to fight his way in the forest with he could hear was the sounds of men screaming and swords clanging. His mouth and body started to freeze and make his temperature go numb with pain, the anger in him was almost crippling to the point he could suffer a breakdown.

He looked around him and had to take in the sad fact that his entire army, that was loyal to the end, was defeated at last - not retreating. Not even his loyal commanders were around him anymore, he was most likely covered in their blood by now. He was defeated in the battle against Bolton's forces and defeated in the war of the Seven Kingdoms he desperately wanted to win. Stannis was the true King of Westeros, yet they chose a bastard child over a man who was just and fair. Apparently they hated a just and fair man.

During his campaign, he was the only one who could have freed the North from the ruthless man-flaying Boltons, but their own army has denied him that. Everyone he knew and honored denied him his rightful claim, and even the remaining Starks have chosen their side, ever since they sided with another pretender to the crown. In his over forty years of training, child to man, he never thought to see the day the Baratheon sigil would fall, at worse to traitors who deserved everything they have coming to them.

For a decade the Baratheons ruled the Seven Kingdoms. Now that all the heirs to the throne were dead it was all up to Stannis Baratheon to free the Iron Throne from the rule of the Lannisters and restore what would be best for the realm. He used his standing as the "chosen one" and the fact he was the only one alive who knew the true parentage of the fools who sit on the Iron Throne to his advantage, but it wouldn't matter now.

Stannis was one of the most powerful commanders in all of Westeros and possibly across the Narrow Sea. He was extremely weak in numbers, and now he got no numbers at all. He might as well be dead, since he no longer felt any life in him anymore, in an honorable fashion. But every bone in his body told him to keep moving.

His tactics and sacrifices of innocent people meant nothing anymore when the Lord of Light has failed him and his claim to the Iron Throne. A small tear dropped from his eye as he remembered what he did prior to the battle. He couldn't get the screams out of his head. He was ashamed of himself as he realized everything the priestess said was false, all of it. He would have never won Winterfell and never get the chance to sit down and toast as the Bolton colors burn with the head of Roose Bolton on a pike. Everything he hoped for was taken from him, all because he put his trust into one witch. So much, he even turned over the thing he loved in his life.

Stannis was heartbroken.

With the majority of his strength left in him he made himself move towards a tree with his sword fidgeting in the palm of his hand, but he fell over from exhaustion and had to use his sword to lift himself up and lean himself towards the tree. He closed his eyes and breathed in the air that might be his last breath of the air of Westeros. He knew his life came to an end and wanted to die in peace. His short break was stopped when he heard a man scream and the sound of a sword plunging into flesh. The Boltons came for him.

He struggled to turn himself around. He then saw himself coming face to face with two large men with the eyes of death looking at the weakened commander. They were under the Bolton banners, black-clothed and all; they were hoping this would be easy.

They were the ones to attack him first. Stannis used all his strength to block one of the soldier's swords, and push him away from him and tried to attack the other one who was already advancing on him. The soldier managed to stab Stannis' leg and almost cripple him, but he used his strength to keep standing. Stannis retaliated by trying to slash him horizontally, but missed him by a few inches. He then tried to charge towards him, full of anger, but the soldier stepped aside and indirectly caused Stannis to stab his companion, killing him with a sword threw his guts. When the last one tried to charge at him, Stannis spun himself around as quick as he can and stabbed the man threw the neck with a broken sword, causing crimson to spill on the wrist of his hand. He looked into the dying soldier's eyes for a moment before throwing his lifeless corpse on the ground.

Stannis was now too tired and wounded from all the fighting to stand up and fell on the ground instantly. He managed to use his strength and crawl himself back to the tree where he can try to rest. He positioned himself opposite to the battlefield and checked his leg. He screamed when he checked his leg and saw a gaping wound in it, but it didn't prevent him from moving his body. He was not screaming for the pain, he was screaming for the frustration that was building up in him. He was now unable to get back to his feet; he was too tired to even position himself in a more comfortable position. He closed his eyes and tried to think of thoughts in his head to clear his mind from the abuse, but there were none to think of.

For many years he spent on Dragonstone planning, maneuvering and recruiting to get to the position he was now to take over the North, and it all gets crushed under one mistake that caused him to lose his entire army to a bunch of man-flaying monsters on cavalry. Stannis was sad, but tried to hide his tears. He did not want to die crying like a child.

He then heard the sounds of footsteps approaching. He opened his eyes and stood before was a very tall blonde woman, possibly a knight, staring at him with a stern look on her face. Her body looked more of a man to Stannis and he couldn't tell why she was on a battlefield. It was her curves that made him identify her gender, but her wearing dark colors made him think she was one of the soldiers come looking for survivors.

"Bolton has women fighting for him?" He asked.

She stood up tall with a serious glare added to her face, gripping her holstered sword in hand.

"I don't fight for the Boltons," she corrected "I'm Brienne of Tarth. I was a king's guard to Renly Baratheon." Stannis never heard that name since a year ago; when he was still planning his attack on King's Landing. Renly was his younger brother who went against him and proclaimed himself king, despite the fact Stannis was next in line. Stannis had him killed with something deadlier then an assassin.

"I was there when he was murdered by a shadow with your face," Stannis remembers. "You murdered him, with blood magic?" Stannis looked at her with regret. He knew that lying would do nothing for him.

"I did." He honestly said.

Brienne then sturdily approached him up to the tree and she began to draw her sword, but stopped with some of the steel peaking from its holster. She stood up in a stance that a lord always used when they were about to execute someone. My time has come, Stannis thought.

"In the name of Renly of House Baratheon, First of his Name, Rightful King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and protector of the Realm. I, Brienne of Tarth, sentence you to die." She finished.

Stannis didn't show fear at all, he knew this day would come when he chose the wrong side, so he faced her with dignity. "Do you have any last words?" She asked. Stannis chewed on his lips thinking of what to say. He sighed and turned his head to his shoulders, accepting her to end his pain.

"Go on, do your duty" He requested.

She then looked at him for a moment of pity then drew her sword, following the order of Stannis. Stannis looked up at her with fear in his eyes as his final moment has arrived.

She raised her sword with her eyes closed and then slashed at his head with her sword with a grunt. She thought her duty was done, but she noticed something, there was no sound of flesh being cut. She opened her eyes and saw she only cut the tree like a lumberjack, the part where Stannis' head was suppose to be. She realised that Stannis was missing from sight and she started to turn her head left to right, trying to find him in case he ran. She found nothing. The King was missing.

* * *

The sound of an explosion that could have blown up an entire keep, if not for the small radius, has started and sent students flying everywhere, staining their clothes in grass. The smoke from the explosion circled around every student and they fell to the ground by the impact. The grey fumes blurred everything up. Louise fell on her backside but didn't bother to stand up. She just knew it; there was a little hum in her head that told her that she had summoned something. She looked into the smoke and saw a shadow. The students helped each other up and joined Louise in looking into the smoke.

She concentrated hard to peer into the dusty smoke, and as it cleared away she could see a man rising up from the ground. The silhouette showed the shadow of someone large walking towards them, a sword in its hand.

A tall old-looking person emerged from the smoke; he was covered in black dust and blood that stuck to his armour like a shroud. The Lord of Dragonstone, Stannis Baratheon stood before them, but he looked to be limping, using an ornate hilted sword as his walking stick. He huffed and puffed to try to catch his breath. Everyone got up and stared at his physique, questioning on what he is. He's obviously a human being.

Stannis stood out to them as a man with experience - a quite tall, broad-shouldered and slim of flesh. He was in his first period of middle age, with balding black hair shaded with grey, a short beard that stretched across his face like stubble, and a fair skin complexion. Due to his ways of dark magic, he looked slightly older. He was wearing his very own crafted lord's grey chainmail armor with grey armor plating on the arms and chest. His most notable feature on his person is the stag's heart boarded by roaring flames inlaid on his chest-plate that sealed his loyalty to the Lord of Light, R'hllor.

Stannis towered over Louise by at least two feet and looked like a true warrior compared to any other man, Louise took note of this.

Pure magical energy rushed around his body and cleansed the Baratheon and calmed his mind and refreshed his will to be more alive than ever, but it wouldn't last long. He could not feel the pain or how tired he was before he was taken by the portal to this world. It was numb in his wound, but not from the cold of the North. Stannis rather leave it at that.

He stood on an endless grassy plain under a clear sky of heavenly blue that dawned over him, with a gentle breeze of the wind that made his hair blow up and made it look like it has come to life. He looked around and saw he was surrounded by children, maybe in their teens, dressed in white shirts, black trousers, and wore black cloaks that made them look like clerks of the Seven. The majority of them looked completely foreign to his eyes, almost blinding with their silky white shirts.

There was something that made the hackles on Stannis' head rise with suspicion. This area definitely had more colors and was a prettier sight than his own castle, maybe even all of the Stormlands combined - maybe not. It was certainly more welcoming than taking a ship right into the sea of King's Landing. He was opened mouth in confusion as he kept looking up in the sky, there was no sign of heat or snow added to it, clearly he's not in the North.

It took him a while to realize someone was calling him from beneath him. On the ground before him was the person who had called him to the realm: a little girl with pink hair and amber eyes that looked intimidating enough to NOT be able to scare a mouse. Stannis was completely taken back with the girl staring into his face and right threw him. He also found it a bit humorous of how miniature she is compared to him, unaware she has the power that can mess up but succeed in harming him.

Though the child wasn't taken back at all she was completely unaware of the immense deed she had just performed by pulling Stannis before getting his head hacked off nor the true talents that lied locked within her. Years she had been waiting, starting from months to days then months again, waiting and praying to finally get her goal, starting from a very rough start. Today it has changed. The man who was in front of her may not look like much but he can command an entire army of sellswords to conquer a square of the world.

Stannis himself was grateful from being pulled out from his own world - completely grateful. Each day in Westeros had been worse as it continued to push him to his breaking point. To this day it will change his life...forever.

Seconds past and the crowd of children began to take in Stannis Baratheon's presence before they begin to chatter amongst themselves. They couldn't help but ask themselves who this man was. Stannis could only make out what a few of them are saying before getting irritated by the sounds of child chatter.

"He looks a bit old." "Is he a general?" "He's a knight perhaps?" All of these questions were asked but all didn't have a valid answer.

Stannis was still a bit lightheaded and started to feel the effects of numbness in his body as he kept standing in the bright sunlight that made his vision go almost blind and his brain go groggy. He managed to keep his watch on the pink head girl before him. Not a single ounce of fear could be found; only curiosity could be seen sparkling in her wide-eyed child-like innocent looking eyes.

Stannis doesn't by it.

Upon looking at him, he was immediately dubbed a warrior, by Louise, warrior of skill and strength, but a bit old. A being that had pure blood of battle in him, armour that showed great power and a face that showed everyone he was a very serious man. Certainly, it was not a beast as she had expected, but at least she didn't summon something pathetic like a commoner. But he was a warrior that has come straight from a battlefield.

"I am Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere!" She quickly spat out and stood up, "Who are you, familiar?"

Stannis then looked at her in the eyes and stood in a sideways stance while he gripped his sword. "I'm Stannis. King Stannis Baratheon." He introduced, grinding his teeth from snow.

The student's questions were answered finally. They gasped with shock and stunning feelings at the same time upon hearing his title: a king! Louise herself was the most shocked looking. Not only did she summon a warrior, but a king. She was not at all depressed anymore, but was completely stunned. She then came up with all sorts of assumptions of where she was summoned him from. From his very own royal palace about to bring justice? In the middle of a battle he was desperate to lead? Or maybe when he was just crowned king, perhaps? She was more hysterical then Stannis now, causing her head to go down and go bright red.

"A-a king?" Louise gulped. Stannis looked at her with an angry frown on his face and asked, "Do you deny my claim?" Louise stood silent.

The students then started to chatter among themselves again, this time in regards to the king that has summoned. Most of them believed he was simply stretching out what he was, while few questioned why he wasn't wearing a crown.

Louise looked up and down, scanning the physique of him. Stannis obviously looked like he had been in battle. Blood and dirt covered most of his armor and he was wielding a bloodied sword that was coated with a gold grip. She thought a general suited him more. Louise filed her thoughts of the so-called "king" for the time being. She was more interested in trying to make this man become her familiar.

"Mr. Colbert! What do I do now?" Louise called out to the teacher. "You must complete the contract, Miss Louise," he told. "Merge your energy with him and make him you're familiar."

Louise then approached Stannis, who was still staring at her. They gazed into each other's eyes. Louise felt the urge to back away as she had the thought of having to kiss someone who looks, not because thirty years older than her but because he looks like he never had a bath in weeks. She managed to dismiss it and tried to keep in her mind that Stannis was of king's blood. It might just work.

Stannis then, without command, knelt down to her and was intending to ask her a question, while trying to get to her size.

Louise licked her lips and swallowed her saliva, with an exhaled breath she began her chant, "I hereby swear by the Oath Of Name, for I am Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere, that my fate shall be entwined with thee and thy fate with my own," an energy of transparent orbs started to move around them and circle them, scaring Stannis, "O, Pentagon Of The Five Elemental Powers... I announce: bless this union of balance and fate!"

She moved closer to her kneeling familiar and placed her two hands on his head - his face was unexpectedly ruff and a bit mangy. With a light brush of her hand, she swept the forehead clean of blood and leaned forward to his puckered face. Her soft lips touched his; the sensation was only mildly pure and it tasted somewhat bland.

Louise Francoise's kiss maintained contact for a full second before she pulled away. She stepped back and wiped her mouth with the back of her cotton sleeve - she spat out the aftertaste of sweat and frozen hair that got caught in her mouth. She waited for the results of her spell.

Stannis was now completely and utterly confused with the situation going on now - more than he already was. First, a little pink haired girl has summoned him on the brink of getting his head detached from his body by a woman's blade and now she kissed him when he hasn't even asked her a single question? Stannis pushed the girl back away and got back up and opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but his face was stuttering at every word he was about to say.

Stannis froze time in his mind. The students could hear his tooth grinding furiously as his body was starting to spasm, like the liquid of peppers were flowing in his veins.

Then suddenly an aura of magical energy came out of thin air and circled his body. Stannis tried to wave them away, but to no avail. The magical energy then poured right into the neck of Stannis and created a charged light. He removed the leather flaps on his neck and he felt a rune of foreign markings burning on the side of his neck. Stannis then started to get hysterical.

"What did you do to me? Who are you people? For the love of R'hllor, someone please tell me where am I!?" He repeatedly yelled, over and over.

Everyone began to stutter as Stannis began stomping around and asking everyone the same questions. Stannis was starting to become mad with confusion unless someone gave him the answer he was looking for. Then the teacher went up behind him and tapped Stannis on his shoulder. He turned around and faced Colbert in the eyes, meeting face to face.

"You're in Tristain Academy of Magic," Jean answered.

Stannis jumped at the word "magic" and stared into the face of the teacher with wide eyes and a face that showed him distaste, it began to creep him out into stepping back a few steps, but Stannis got closer and closer. "Say again?" Stannis asked with his ear right in front of Jean's mouth. "An Academy of Magic, sire," Jean answered again.

Stannis finally got the word, seeing that most of the students were armed with wooden wands and the teacher had a staff the shape of a royal scepter.

"Magic?" Stannis whispered with a toned sound of slighted fear.

He was surrounded by people with magic sources, not only that, he realized he was in a completely foreign world then Westeros to be able to have pure magic because there is only one person he knew that could hold magic - she is dead to him.

Then something happened when Stannis started to turn red with his blood boiling up to his brain, his nervous systems began to come to life in his already oppressed body. His body began to shake and his breathing began to speed up, his body began to feel the pain he endured again. He was shaking violently and everyone watched in horror at what was happening to him, he looked like he was going to explode with his veins hanging from his flesh and his face cringed, like he guzzled rotten milk.

Suddenly he dropped to the ground and let out a shrill scream into the air that could've woken up the entire castle, which it did. He grabbed his leg and opened his leg straps, and what the students saw made them hurl and scream with him. Louise was screaming at the top of her lungs, almost defeating the other screams, as she saw an open wound with frostbite and mush that laid on Stannis' leg, almost looking like a hacked meatloaf than a man's leg.

In the ordeal of the screaming, Stannis then felt his head pop then he started to lose conscious and faint, laying his head on Louise's feet as his eyes went gloomy. The last thing he saw was the nurses of the academy rushing over to him, but couldn't feel their touch as they lifted him up and carried him away.

* * *

The nurse of the infirmary used jars of fresh healing herbs to try to heal and close-up the open wound of Stannis' right leg, trying to get the wound healed as quickly as possible, or he would bleed out. Stannis cringed in agony as the pain shot through his body and up to his torso, giving his leg a dark and swollen tone to it that made it look like blood was clogged up to the bone, which it almost was.

Stannis squirmed and grind his teeth as the nurse tried to bandage up his wound, almost like a child trying to get out of his mother's grasp. Stannis was trying to stay still on the bloodied bed, but couldn't. He wondered why the stupid nurse couldn't have given him milk of the poppy.

"Don't squirm. You'll only make the blood run out." The Nurse insisted.

Stannis ignored her warning and kept squirming; Stannis wondered why he wasn't given milk of the poppy before she started. The pain was excruciating - Stannis screams that could awake an entire forest of hibernating bears rested the case. The nurse knew what kind of pain he was in, with the sword wound right in his leg, she called him lucky that it didn't hit his bone otherwise he would have been crippled for life. Stannis took it as an offense.

His screams worried Louise, who was out of the room and was biting her teeth behind the door at every scream she heard. She hoped for the best of Stannis that he will be able to walk, or she would have to take care of him. Although she came to the theory that he was pulled from a battlefield - or a siege. She wanted to question the king in all sorts of ways, from beliefs, to kingdom, to armies and to skills, all in that order.

"How exactly did this happen?" The nurse asked while bandaging up his wound. "I was fighting for my life, against traitors of the North," Stannis replied, trying to be as modest as possible. "Were you fighting against a rebellion, your highness?" Stannis then looked into the nurse's eyes and gave a face of sadness. "I was -" Stannis was cut off when a loud bang caught him off guard.

Louise barged right in; almost breaking the door hinges, and came to Stannis' side in a great haste. She didn't ask any questions but examined his body to see if he has any more wounds, luckily he only sustained a leg injury - better than his vision or arms.

Stannis got up after the nurse finished bandaging up his wound, both palms on the pommel of his sword. He looked down, the wrapping has perfect and the blood was circulating. Stannis didn't bother to use his sword as a walking stick, despite being in agony; he didn't want to be thought by anyone as a cripple. To be sure, he ripped the cuffs of his undershirt off and tied it loosely around his ankle and made himself look even worse - no, better, he must think he is well in order to be well.

"The blade cut deep, but you can still walk. Just don't apply too much pressure, okay?" The nurse warned.

Stannis gave a silent nod. He holstered his sword, put his boots on and walked alongside his pink-haired little friend out from the infirmary and into a lightly-lit corridor then they walked side-by-side each other, more like one's body covering the other's face.

"Listen, Stannis. I have no idea who you are, nor do you know who I am, but what I expect from a king is a lot of skills and power. I don't want you to embarrass me. You follow my orders from now on, you do what I saw when I saw, got it!?" Louise tolled.

Stannis tried to ignore the words she said. He was paying full attention to the pictures on the wall from left to right. They pictures opened in his mind and showed him wizards, mages, warriors of fire and dragon riders in heroic stances that showed power in all sorts of magic. Stannis was taken in into his own fantasy when he saw a painting of a warrior kneeling on a stone with a sword of fire, he remembered holding a sword that looked similar to the one the man is holding, but his was a bit more "flashy" then the one he held when he was introduced to R'hllor.

He dismissed the memories of his past in his head when he thought up a name in the back of his mind and continued on his way, with Louise tugging on the end of his armor.

* * *

Little Louise was back in her room with her royal familiar. Stannis was forced to sleep on an uncomfortable haystack on the side on Louise's bed that he couldn't even sleep; especially when the candles are still lit and are lighting right threw his eyelids. Even though he still had his armour on he was vulnerable to any sort of magic.

At least he had the descents to wash the blood off him.

While Louise was combing her hair she was lecturing him about his duties as her servant, from having to protect her from harm, make her bed and have to tend to her every need. Stannis only needed to lay there and planned to wait until she was sleeping, all while tuning out the squeaky voice of his "master". He was already annoyed with her.

He knew so little about the structure he was in, but all he knew was that this was not in the realm of Westeros, not Dragonstone and definitely not Braavos. Tristain is the right term. Stannis was out of his place in this world, by a long-shot. He didn't know at all what or why he was there, even though it is being explained to him. He would rather get it explained by some a lot less...bitchy.

Stannis seemed not to be listening to her words, only managing to hear those who have been upped in tune. He was busy studying the oiled wooden boards on the ceiling in a half-bored, half-annoyed way he is. Even Louise should know it is bad to bore a man like Stannis. In truth, Stannis was already bored with his previous life.

While it's true that she didn't have any immediate plans for her first familiar, she full knows that she has summoned a king from another land, but he doesn't have anything to rule here, thus the only thing he can do now is guard her until he fulfills his service. She at least wanted to question and examine him in the privacy of her own room.

But it was getting late, so she decided to wait until tomorrow - or the day after that. Stannis watched as the little girl entered her bed and snored fast asleep in a little amount of time. He then finally got up and gave himself a few stretches, cracking a few bones. Good thing the nurses put herbs in his leg wound otherwise he would have went down from the pain instantly. He then grabbed his sword and managed to walk himself out the door and close it, with only a silent squeak that could have gave his position away.

* * *

Stannis casually walked out from the castle and into the light of the moon. Stars have come out from hiding. The moon was full with the black sky. The moon's rays bounced off his armor and created rays that reflected in all directions, he thought he was finally in peace. He forgot how calm and peaceful the moon actually was, especially when there was no smoke of burning pillars on the outside of the castle blocking it. There were no words for Stannis to say that would ever describe how beautiful the castle was - having previously lived in a war-torn Westeros has taken the comfort of peace away from him.

Stannis then decided to investigate his new castle a bit further, wanting to learn more about his position and if his royal status means anything in this world. He knew with the magic and sorcery that this world has would make his status as king questionable at this time, but there can be a few ways to prove he is indeed a leader.

He looked up and was spooked when he saw something fly over him, forming a large shadow on the moon. He was frightened by the sound of a loud screech that came from behind him. He turned and drew his sword upon seeing scales and wings fly over him, it was the size of a cabin and had talons that were sharp enough to skewer a Kraken. "A bloody dragon?" Stannis whispered.

The dragon's body is large and is completely covered with tough, shiny scales that glowed in the dark. He was calmed when he saw the dragon was being commanded by a rider - a rider with blue hair and an unrecognizable glass on her face, but Stannis couldn't get a better look at her when she was so high in the sky. He holstered his sword and continued on his way when the dragon flew out of sight and over the buildings. Stannis has never ever seen a dragon with his own eyes, only hearing about them in books he read about the conquest of the Seven Kingdoms. They were used to conquer all of Westeros by the Targaryans in a fiery blaze, ruining the kingdoms until his brother rebelled against them - luckily they didn't have any dragons with them then. Stannis was lucky he didn't encounter one.

Stannis then came to a corner of the dark structure, he stopped mid-step upon hearing the soft sound of humming birds coming around the corner. He moved himself past and stuck his head around the cold and stones corners to get a good look at where the bird was coming from. He then realised it was a woman making herself some music as she was scrubbing some dirty laundry. To Stannis, she looked like young woman in her teens with curious looks: black hair, flashing blue eyes, fair-skinned and a slender, graceful figure that was thin as a dagger. The only thing Stannis took note of was the obvious fact she was beautiful, more beautiful than most girls he saw in his life.

There was something about her that was different most people he here as well people from the realm of Westeros. The clothes she was wearing looked completely foreign to what maid wore in the castles, considering hers was a bit more "alluring" and the fact she had some sort of touch to the world from where he came from. It was curiosity that moved his feet towards her.

Stannis walked in front of her, but she didn't notice him. Stannis put his covered palm onto her cottoned shoulder and got her attention. She was startled at his sudden appearance that she accidentally dropped her rack in the bucket of water, a suppressing yelp of fear and the freight she tried to run away. She then bumped into and found herself in the arms of Stannis Baratheon. For a full second she looked into his brown eyes while Stannis looked into hers. Her eyes were fully opened and shined like a star into Stannis' filthy face. He released her from his uncomfortable grip.

"Here, let me get that for you." Stannis bent and helped her get her rack out from the cold water, cleaning his grubby hands in the process, he handed it to her in an orderly manner and stepped back a few steps, giving a blank and serious face at the giggling girl.

"Um, are you the royal one Miss Valliere summoned earlier?" She asked him. "So you have heard of me?" Stannis replied. "Of course, everyone is talking about how an actual kingly peasant was summoned as a familiar!" Stannis then jumped at the word of a peasant.

"Did you just call me a peasant?" Stannis demanded her to tell him. She gave a frightened look when she realized her mistake when Stannis put his face close to hers and she quickly told him, "the nobility here are those who know how to use magic and the peasants are those who have none." Stannis understood, but reminded her to never call him a peasant again, he always hated that word.

Stannis still had no such knowledge of this so-called "familiar" mantle he was given upon entering, nor did he have knowledge of the people here. In his years of learning and now he is in a completely different world and, at worst, having to start in his forties and probably has less to learn. He didn't know these people and they didn't know him, he wanted to know them as best as possible before he can speak freely. "To whom am I speaking too?" Stannis politely chatted. "My name is Siesta; I have the honor to serve the nobility here." Siesta proclaimed.

Polite and courteous, a way a lady should be when greeting a king. Stannis knew this girl was sweet as honey by the way she talks, walks and communicates to him and he didn't want the honey to get sour. Stannis started to like her, in a servant type of way of course.

"As for how courteous this is I have to ask why I am here and why is there a marking on my neck," Stannis demanded, holding his neck in front of Siesta. "That is the rune of a familiar; this makes you a contract with a mage as a servant." She pointed out, curling her hair round and round, hoping Stannis won't take offense to that.

Stannis then took a step back and turned around in a state of realization. He could tell in the tone of her voice that she was serious; he felt a deepening surge in his mind that made him shallow to the bottom of his body. So deep in his mind that he couldn't even hear his own mind talk until Siesta tapped him on his back.

"So you're telling me that I'm that girl's servant? This cannot be happening to me. I am a warrior, a lord, a bloody king for the god's sake! Now I'm finally being demoted from my position to servitude. Am I no longer a king?" Stannis then began to get his brain pulsing again.

"It's only to an extent." Siesta comforted. "She's a bloody child!" Stannis yelled at her in frustration.

"I should have died at Winterfell." Siesta was shocked when she heard Stannis and was disgusted at the wish of death he made. She put her hand on his shoulder and said, "Don't wish for that, Stannis. You can't break yourself down just because something hasn't gone your way. This is your chance to start anew again, your grace." Siesta didn't know at all at what Stannis has been through at all and he started to get annoyed with her too. What does she know of me? Stannis thought.

"Your grace," Stannis rudely repeated. "What am I the king of in this world? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!" Stannis told the whimpering Siesta, "I can tell you it never goes my way, even at home I get downed by the people I knew. Now that I'm a servant to someone whose name is the only thing Iknow, I know they have finally beaten me" Siesta then finally knows what kind of man Stannis truly was, a man who was denied his inheritance.

"Tonight I am to sleep on a pile of hay like an old horse next to a slaving child's bedside." Stannis finished with a hiss as he stomped away from the maid.

Stannis then stood in the middle of a garden, surrounding himself with all kinds of flowers. He looked up in the skies and didn't see the Red Comet anymore and only saw a couple moons staring at him.

"My life is over," Stannis told the two moons above him.

He stared at the ground, starting to fill the nightly breeze pass his skin and make his wet hands turn to snow. He was enraged with what has happened that day he looked into a bright light and reached into it. He didn't want to do it, but he did it anyway. He had no life now, no wife, no child, no army, no kingdom, no nothing.

For a moment, Stannis Baratheon was filled with a terrible sense of insecurity. This was his new place now, in the new world. He looked at the towers around him, breathing heavily and grasped his chest. He knew his mantle as king means nothing anymore. It doesn't mean he won't keep it.

* * *

End of Episode 1!


	2. Episode 2 of act 1: Heart of the king

There were times - but not many, maybe a few - when Stannis Baratheon wished he wasn't peppered with the responsibility of a lord, but now those times are erased from memory completely after the command he was given last night after getting caught up and about.

As his eyes opened at the ray of morning light from the polished window, he wished he could rather just remain a lord with the responsibilities of a king, with half a kingdom in debt to a white-haired coot. He was just as exhausted as he was when he was taken into the portal to this world, but knowing his master, he would have to get up and prove his worth.

He got up from his bed of hay pulled himself to the table and poured water, from his own sleeping master's flagon, into a wooden cup and drank it in one whole. The fresh, shimmering water filled his mouth and calmed his mind and started his day with a plain face - the best face he could ever do.

He then put the flagon down when he noticed the pink lady began to groan and squirm under her silky bed sheets, trying his best to make it was sturdy as possible. Stannis had poor luck when she found him up walking around the gardens late at night, so his luck might change this morning.

She then woke up from her slumber and stretched herself out, rubbing the skin on her face, then got up. She looked over to her bedside and saw Stannis was lying down on his hay with his arms stretched on the back of his head, with his eyes closed to the point of squinting. Louise wasn't stupid, she knows he is awake.

She looked down at the foot of her bed and all her clothes, including panties, was all dry and ready for use. Stannis actually did his order. She got out from her bed and changed right into them when Stannis still had his eyes closed, saving her modesty from a man with the displeasure of getting held in his dry hands.

The sound of clacking shoes forced Stannis to open his eyes once more and turn his head to the shadow above him. He saw the adorable face of Louise with her body covered in white wool with black staring down at him. Stannis actually thought she was beautiful up close, even with her ridiculous pink hair; she still had the face a princess would have.

He took her presence as a sign for more orders until he saw a key in her hand.

He looked at the bottom part of his body and completely forgot his left leg was chained to the wall as punishment for leaving the other day. After long after trying to deal with the pain in the other being pressed against hay, he forgot to try to deal with the other being so numb.

Louise bent down and took off the iron shackles from his legs. "This time, don't run away again. You're my familiar and I cannot deal with my servant going around doing miscellaneous stuff out at night." She told him, throwing the keys right beside her wand.

"If 'running away' is your term for going out to see the bright lights in the sky, then fine." He said – with seriousness in it- as he got up and cracked his neck. "You mentioned I would get breakfast if I sort out your damn clothes, now I am inclined to ask you when I am going to get it. Unless of course you would rather let your wounded 'familiar' die right now from lack of energy." Stannis demanded, holstering his sword on his side.

Louise let out a, "shut up", full of scornful distaste at Stannis' remark. "You will get it when I am ready to proceed." She arrogantly told. Why that little, Stannis thought as he tried to take back the thought of killing her. He still had to remember she is a woman of magic – magic he is without – and he is trying his best to appease her.

Louise finished combing her hair and replaced the wands position with it, proceeding towards the door with Stannis trailing with her behind. "So, not even a word of 'ready to proceed?" Stannis whispered, annoyed with the little girl's behavior.

Stannis wanted to scream. It was just like Louise **wants** to undermine him in order to get a reaction, just to chain both his legs to the wall.

* * *

The dining room of the school was clear with sunlight and with the smell of roasted meat and fresh-baked bread. Its white painted walls were draped with banners. The teacher was trying to lecture his students about class, but down at this end of the hall his voice could scarcely be heard above the clanging of silver plates and cups and the low mutter of a hundred childish conversations

Stannis and Louise were late on the ninth hour of the day. The two entered calmly threw the doors and walked past the middle of the seated tables. Louise was keeping her chin up and walked sternly past the tables with little resistance, while Stannis was taking in the painful, **painful** glares of most students who only saw an old man wearing a young knight's armour.

"There they are, the familiar 'king' being led by his puny master." Kirche said to the girl next to her. The two were spurned but neither had a care in the world about their surroundings, Stannis wanted to eat and Louise wanted to teach.

The two reached the centre of a table in the first row. Stannis heard the sound of glass combining with brick and looked down and found a plate on the ground behind the chair, finding it a bit suspicious how a plate of white glass got on the floor. bent down to pick it up and was stopped by the soft hands of Louise. "Put it back down, servant." She ordered him.

Stannis bent his knee and put the plate back to his original position. He was then startled by a force dropping onto the plate in front of him, it was a piece of bread – well, half a piece of bread – was thrown in front of him. "There is your breakfast, servant. Eat up." Louise said, turning her face to the table.

Stannis turned his mind to the plate and finally found out what she thought of him as, a dog. No way in the Seven Hells she can think she can do this to me, Stannis thought.

Louise and the other students proceeded to put their hands together and tighten them around their knuckles and say the prayer, "To our great teacher Brimir and the Queen, her highness, I am gratefully thankful for your modestly."

Louise then proceeded to grab a knife and fork and cut the steak on her plate. As she cut the side of her breakfast and was ready to put it in her mouth, she heard the sound of loud munching coming from beside her. She looked beside her and found herself startled by the presence of Stannis right beside her, even eating from the plate reserved for nobles. " **Geh**!" The sound of a squeak got Stannis' attention, but he didn't look too ready but a bit poised. "Stannis, what do you think you are doing? Your dirtying the seat set for nobles, and you are dirtying the food with your foul mouth!" She yelled into his ear.

Stannis responded with a, "Nobles? Have you already forgotten that I am of king's blood and a warrior here to protect you?" Louise then tried to take the plate away from him. "I know, and you know it, that this is not the world you once ruled, Stannis. This world is ruled by the Tristain purple, not that stag fires you have on your chest. Now that I have got that cleared, give me the plate!"

When she tried to snatch the plate off him he yanked the plate back, with little effort, and gave Louise a cringed and solid stare of pure anger at her, sending her seriousness down a well and forced her to hide her head like the shell of a turtle away from him. "Alright, get this straight. I have met a lot of girls in my life, but I have never EVER seen a girl treat a man like this when she just met him. I only knew you yesterday and you are already on the other side of the wall! Now leave me alone and let me eat my food!" Stannis told

Louise got his message and showed astonishment as how strong he was compared to her, who started getting on his bad side ever since she caught him snooping around late at night. Stannis doesn't need to take being chained up and yelled at by his master any longer. She then shed a tear, not for realizing but because of his loud voice that got everyone's attention. Louise can now at least try to show a little faith in him, knowing his strength. But know after that little tirade, she didn't even want to look at him anymore. But she thought of how she yelled at him the other night, he must have felt bad. Louise then brushed off any feelings for him. She will do anything she wants to him, even physically and psychologically.

* * *

Later on in the day, when the sun was still high around the clouds, the two then proceeded to go outside into the grass. Apparently there was more white tables outside then inside, with more food and white cotton then a man could ever need. Stannis eyed some of the cake just waiting in the sun light for him. But Stannis also eyed some creatures of all shape and sizes wondering around with their masters.

"So it's not only human beings that got trapped here?" Stannis questioned suspiciously. "Not only from your own world, Stannis. They are summoned from different realms at different times around the universe, a human is considered rare for any student. But why should you care?" Louise gave Stannis the evil eye.

Before Stannis could answer the question he tripped over something heavy, but managed to regain his balance before he could have done something embarrassing. He looked behind him and saw it was a red tail he tripped over, attached to something flaming. He was startled by the screech of it and looked into the monster's eyes.

Stannis then tried to draw his sword. "Oh, there he is!" A sultry voice came from behind the beast. A girl appeared and snuggled the creature in her arms. Stannis holstered his sword again and took a good look at the girl.

Stannis took in the young woman before him and stood there at a loss for words. Kirche was a young and very beautiful young lady. She was noted to have a bronze curvaceous body that could send a thousand high lord's hearts aflutter. She inherited hot-pink coloured hair that stretched down to her waist from her family. She stood in front of the nervous Stannis, even he was a mute when he is getting a good look at the girl's body, but his face didn't show it. He just stood there as plain as a stone wall, biting the bottom of his lips. But they were not frowning anymore.

"Is this the first time you saw a salamander, your grace?" She asked him. Stannis gave a silent nod and took a step backward away from it.

"Keep that monster in irons, unless you want that tail of it to set fire to burn the place down like wild fire!" Stannis warned her, but the foreign people didn't know what his term for wild fire was.

"Monster?" Kirche giggled. "Flame would never do a thing like that. Right Flame?" She asked her pet as she stroked its head in careless manner. "A contracted Familiar is absolutely obedient to its master. He shouldn't run away, or scream at his own master." She finished, giving Louise a face of disdain.

Louise then took a few steps forward and let out at her, "Mind your own business!" Kirche then got up and faced Louise. "I don't think Louise the Zero is even as worthy to give orders to a king at all, or you must have planned the explosion and put an old man in armor in the stead of a corpse." She japed with a giggle.

"That is not true! Stannis may be a king, with a bit of aging skin, but he is only loyal to me and me alone, Kirche!" Louise yelled at her face.

"Oh really? Then where is he now?" Kirche questioned.

"By Brimir, you are really are stupid. He's standing right h-" Louise stopped mid-point behind her. Stannis was not behind her anymore.

She looked around in circles and saw Stannis was not anywhere around her anymore, he has ran off, again. "Stannis?!" She screamed at the top of her lungs " **Stannis**!?" She then started to push her way past the crowd – trying to, at least – as her Familiar has ran away from her sight yet again, frustrating her to yell his name repeatedly again and gain much attention from other students.

Kirche stood their giggling at the little pink girl running around looking for her pet. But Kirche too was looking for Stannis. She scanned her eyes around the crowed of people to try and find a middle-aged human male wearing grey armor that suited him, if he was in battle. She then looked at a couple's table and found the man she was looking for was hogging the cake reserved for the students - at least he's using forks and knives – while other students look at him, but Kirche wouldn't tell anyone, **especially** Louise.

Stannis tried to reconcile himself from turning himself into a pig, but the scrumptious taste of the cake pulled him into it with its vanilla and creamy layers. The only thing he's tasted in a while is frozen bread and smoked meat from his military camps, but the wine was alright at Castle Black. Stannis had a few cakes during meetings and feasts, but none of them compared to the food he tasted. They must be the king's cooks, he thought.

He was then startled by a pat on the back that made him drop his food onto the table. He turned and saw Kirche standing there, giggling at his misfortune. "About time someone else pretty approached me," Stannis said.

"Judging by how that Valliere girl talks of you, I would probably be the only one." She joked, but Stannis didn't crack a smile at all, only seriousness.

Stannis then remembers what Louise told him about Kirche, excluding the "stay away from her" part. The two of them had never gotten along since the first day they had met. Such a thing stemmed from their own confrontational personalities and also because the Tristain family of La Valliere and the Germanian family of Von Zerbst had a very long history between them - both families owned territory right by the border of their countries and were generally the first two that always fought the other whenever war had or would occur.

It reminded him of home. But all the houses were at war with each other instead of fighting with each other. Yes, just like home. "There must be a lot of good-looking men in this school; I don't know why you would approach me like this." Stannis exclaimed.

"I think I know just about everyone here, thank you very much. And, I have never encountered a Familiar king before in my life, especially one who comes out from battle. Is that leg alright?" Kirche asked concernedly.

"I am walking, not stumbling, so it must be alright." Stannis lied. It hurt even worse than fire mixed with salt in his leg wound. Stannis didn't want his leg to make him into a cripple, so he just kept on making the blood circulate.

"If I am smart enough, a girl like with the looks of a virgin princess must have plenty of men just waiting to open your legs for their own access." Stannis rudely said, but Kirche can crack his words. "You have no idea, Stannis. Everywhere I go all the eyes of men are unto me. Funny fact is they looked your age." Kirche giggled in humor.

Stannis could tell she was vulnerable. Kirche had every making of a princess; maybe with the libido of a whore. Worse, she was pretty with no anxiety about going to places that left her body unguarded. But unknowing to Stannis, she was a very powerful mage who had years of magic lessons. Stannis felt nothing but false sympathy for her. "I will try to take that as a compliment, but I want to finish my cake." Stannis finished.

Suddenly a loud accident was heard, with the sound of liquid spilling and plates clashing, a loud but elegant voice was heard. "Oh why you little peasant!" a regal but somewhat girly scream was heard coming from the table a few meters away from the cake.

Stannis then heard the sound of a girl who was desperately trying to apologize to for her actions, a voice that would go well with a few songs. He then realized the girl was none other than the maiden, Siesta, he met last night. She had tears in her eyes as the noble was screaming insults at her. None of the students seemed to care.

The appearance of the boy who was yelling at Siesta made Stannis cringe his face and grind his teeth. The "suave" Guiche de Gramont: young with pale skin, a face that was out of girl's league and…golden haired. Behind him, sitting on his table, was a girl named Montmorency. She was a beauty of a girl, looking in her late teens. Her hair was a cascade of golden-yellow curls being held together by a ribbon. Both wore identical uniforms as the other students wore.

Kirche tried to turn Stannis' face towards her, but he couldn't take his eyes from the commotion that is going on with the noble and the maid. Then Stannis started to walk, then speed walk, then stomp closer and closer to the trouble.

"Sorry I have to do this, peasant, but the punishment for messing up in front of a noble is something you cannot be forgiven for." Guiche then proceeded to raise his hand. "N-no, please lord Guiche, I'm sorry." Siesta's pleas were futile, she closed her eyes.

Guiche then took the swing and his hand was heading for her face. There was a sound but there was no pain, nor a slap at all.

Siesta opened her eyes and saw the hand of Guiche staring at her, but it was being held in place. She saw the golden boy staring up at someone much taller than he was, or possibly any man she saw. Stannis stared into Guiche's eyes with full-on anger while gripping the slapping hand as tight as the handle of a sword. Guiche tried to remove it from his grasp, but was met with heavy tugging until Stannis said, "I don't think that's how you treat a lady."

Then, in the blink of an eye, Stannis raised his hand up and gave his biggest, meanest slap across the face of Guiche. This sent the noble to the ground and a loud vibration that got everyone in the yards attention, including Louise who just found Stannis.

"That old man just slapped a noble!" "Oh, he's so going to get it." "He's a king, so he thinks he can slap anyone he can!" A crowd of people gathered around. Of course, you little bastards would notice **that** , Stannis thought.

Guiche then got up from his grassy seat and faced Stannis with the face that can only be described as thunderstruck. He covered a massive bruise on his face that looked like he was hit with a giant hammer. "You…you!" Guiche stuttered. "You actually have the guts to come up and hit a man of noble birth, for no reason at all!" but Stannis replied, "Nothing! You dare have the guts to try and slap an innocent girl and pretend **you're** innocent! That is injustice, even for you" Siesta then emerged from behind Stannis, as innocent eyed as ever, and was shook away into the crowd of people.

Guiche was then foiled in motion, and then he showed a massive red stain of wine on the bit of his jumper and told Stannis, "Look what she did to me. A peasant dirtied the base of my finest white uniform." Stannis showed nothing but disdain for him. "That is the tiniest stain I have ever seen. It's just a shirt not woman; a woman is worth a hundred of those types of shirts back in Westeros."

Then the two gazed straight into the fires inside their eyes. Their confrontation was broken up when the pink-haired "mistress" got in between them and stared at Stannis and said, "Stannis Baratheon, what do you think you are doing? You dare slap the face of a noble would get you imprisoned. Apologise to Guiche, now!"

Stannis could see Guiche grinning right behind her; he wouldn't let a little boy get the best of him, with or without a brat telling him to apologize. "What did I tell you back in the dining room?!" Stannis yelled. "I can fight my own battles here, Louise. I just need you to stay out of this for one minute so I can sort this out myself. And I work better without you standing in front of me."

Before Louise could yell, the voice of Kirche came from the crowd and told, "You heard him, Louise. Stay out of it." Louise then finally realized she was out of place when everyone stared at her and finally retreated behind the crowd. I knew I should have left him in a cage, Louise thought.

"I suggest you make like a girl and apologize before I turn that red stain on your shirt to a real red stain." Stannis continued on, determined to put this noble back in his place.

"You dare threaten me to do something that doesn't need to happen, she's a peasant and so are you!" Guiche squealed. This only encouraged Stannis the come back for more.

"I would silence you for eternity to not do something that has to happen!" Stannis threatened again, fierce and furious.

Guiche, as frustrated as a nanny, pulled a rose out from his cape and pointed it at Stannis. "You want to try and silence me!? A man of noble blood, peasant king!? In the name of House Gramont and Brimir, I challenge you, Stannis Baratheon, to a duel!" Guiche challenged. "Do you accept, peasant king?"

Stannis then looked around him at the anxious people all waiting around for his answer. He saw Siesta watching him with glistening eyes on his right while he saw Louise watching from his left, biting onto a rag as she was trying to signal Stannis to stop.

Stannis was faced with two choices: either he challenges the child to protect the maiden girl and risk the chance of losing so humiliatingly, or he walks away like a craven but pleases his master at his obedience to follow. "Send me your strongest warrior! I'm ready." Stannis chose the risky path.

"No!" Louise screamed, but no one heard over the chanting. Guiche looked at Stannis with delight that he asked for his strongest warrior, a bad move by Stannis. "You got one hour till dawn. Hope you can make it, old man." Guiche taunted as he walked away.

Louise then approached Stannis, enraged with his decision of fighting a noble. "What do you think you're doing?" Louise's squeaky voice came in.

Louise grabbed the hand of Stannis and tried to force him away, but a hard smack knocked her hand away. "Stannis, Guiche is a tried magician, with magic you don't have! You are going to go and apologise to him before something worse will happen, right now!" Louise tried to warn, but Stannis is too stubborn to do something he doesn't want to.

"I'm going to fight. You cannot stop me from battling him. I would rather die in honor than the bend the knee to **him.** " Stannis recklessly told.

Stannis then walked away to get prepared. "Why did you grant me a self-centered, idiotic and selfish Familiar?!" Louise squealed into the air.

* * *

When dawn finally broke, Stannis found he could not face the thought of losing. His sword was freshly polished in its holster, and his armour almost weighed him down. Stannis scratched at some left on dirt with the pommel of his sword. Louise stood by his side and looked at the arrogant Guiche riling up the crowd behind him. "I have no idea why you are doing this, Stannis." Louise discouraged.

"You just have to have faith in me, Louise."

"How am I going to have faith in you, when **you** asked for Guiche's strongest warrior?" Louise did have a point.

"I have slain soldiers, men wearing gold armor, and even a few wildlings with my blade."

Louise then chuckled as fake as she knew. "And none of those have anything in common with what you are about to face."

Stannis then let out a chuckle of his own. "Then let them come for me then. This old man is standing here and is ready to fight."

It looked as though the entire academy has come to see the old man beg for his life. They lined the balconies and elbowed one another to form a circle around the battleground. Some had dragged out chairs to watch more comfortably, while others stood in discomfort. They shouted and were backing up Guiche.

Guiche then summoned and seemed half a child herself beside his champion. In great armor stood what is known as the Valkyrie. It looked the size of a full grown man, but the body of the slimmest of women. It looked to be wearing pure iron armor all over its body that made it look like its skin. A round-topped greathelm looked bolted onto its face, with notable feathers that stuck to the top. It bore a giant spear with it.

Stannis looked unimpressed. But Stannis' master paled at the sight of Guiche's champion. "You are going to fight that?" Louise said in a hushed voice.

"I'm going to beat that. Then I'm going to make that golden-haired bastard bend the knee!" Her servant replied confidently.

Louise had her doubts in him. When she looked up at Stannis Baratheon, she found himself wishing she had a "better" warrior protecting her . . . or even better, a god. The Familiar King's armor looked opposite to the Valkyrie's sheer brutality.

The referee shuffled forward in with his massive speaker and prayed that Brimir would help the both of them and that the warrior who will win will be blessed. That would be me, Stannis almost shouted, but they would only laugh, and he was sick unto death of laughter.

"This is your last chance to back down, peasants!" Guiche shouted from a distance.

Stannis then drew his sword, getting Guiche's attention with the sword being pointed at his champion. Louise then retreated behind the crowd, where she belonged. "Show me how you fight, beast!" Stannis urged.

They were only twenty yards away from each other, pointing their weapon of choices at each other as they approached one another. Stannis then boldly swung his sword vertically first; the Valkyrie blocked it with only a scratch getting on the spear. Brave man, Louise noted how fearless he was when he made the first strike with no hesitation.

The Westeros warrior jumped to the metallic being's side in great speed.

Stannis then stabbed the Valkyrie's side, but it quickly pulled it from its ribs, pulled Stannis to it, and tried to slash at Stannis' chest. Stannis jumped backwards, untouched by the Valkyrie's weapon. I guess stabbing won't work, Stannis tactically thought.

Metal screamed on steel as the spear of the Valkyrie thrust underneath Stannis' arm and pulled him forwards. The Valkyrie then kicked Stannis in the air and sent him pummeling to the ground, when he got in range, and almost stabbed Stannis if not for him rolling away.

Stannis then grunted in frustration. He made a weak charge to hack at the Valkyrie's head. The metallic warrior avoided him easily and grabbed his armour and threw him away to the feet of the crowd. "Are you going to give up now?" Guiche called out.

"I would rather die!" Stannis yelled back.

Stannis then got up and quickly and made a quick slash at the Valkyrie's head, to little to no damage. Stannis could scarcely lay a hit on it anymore, possibly because he was getting tired and the beast had unlimited energy. The Westeros warrior tried to by himself some breathing room by circling the Valkyrie, slashing, and then darting back again, forcing it to become confused.

It went on that way for what seemed an eternity. Back and forth they moved across the yard and round and round in a repeated pattern. The Valkyrie was almost winning, but Stannis would not stay down. Then suddenly the Valkyrie then finally landed a perfect hit on the sword of Stannis. It sent the sword smashing against his face and his body onto the grass.

"No. Get up Stannis," said Siesta.

Stannis then heard the voice and tried to kneel back up, but a metallic boot kicked him in the head and sent him onto his back. The eyes of Stannis made it look like he was unconscious. Guiche then held his hands up high in victory with the students chanting his name, but Stannis was still moving.

Guiche turned to the Stannis and saw he wasn't giving up at all. His head was horribly bruised, but his brain remained fully intact. "Don't you dare," Guiche warned. "Stay down! Stay down in the mud, like a loser and accept defeat already!"

Stannis refused his demands and tried to sit himself up. The Valkyrie then approached him and stomped on the wounded leg of Stannis, sending the combined shrill screams of Stannis and the students into the air at the crunching sounds being heard.

Stannis felt enough pain like he was going in an autopsy, awake. He cringed his face, grinded his teeth and squinted his eyes as the Valkyrie continued its torture, but he did not break at all, he will never scream and let everyone know he has surrendered. He then felt a rush of energy coming up from his body, and to his neck, it went to the rune. Suddenly, everyone started to notice Stannis was shaking violently, but it was not from the pain he is enduring, his body was pulsing and looked to be getting thicker. Stannis' eyes were bloodshot with anger.

In a split-second, Stannis grabbed the hilt of the sword and slashed at the Valkyrie's body. This time his steel became hardened as everyone watched in astonishment as the iron beast was cut in two. Guiche looked on in utter shock and his face paled. "M-my Valkyrie," Guiche said in shock.

Stannis then hoisted himself up with the blade of his sword and struggled to stay up. He then approached Guiche in quick haste, raising his sword as high as he can. Guiche stood there in fear. In Guiche's last line of defense he summoned two more Valkyrie's and sent them towards Stannis. Like that will stop the improved king.

"Like hell that will stop me." Stannis then sent his sword pointing in the direction of the closest Valkyrie. He swung his sword at the iron breastplate; so much force was in it that the Valkyrie was cut in half, just like the first one. "You cannot defeat me." The sword was then brought to Stannis' head this time. "No one can defeat me." The blade then cut swift into the last Valkyrie's neck. He proceeded to hack and hack right through the Valkyrie's armour and managed to cut the iron beast into two twins. Stannis then set his sights on the cowering Guiche.

"Do you know why you can't beat me, Guiche." Stannis advanced, but Guiche tried to retreat but was pushed back by the crowd. "You are just a little, spoiled, golden bastard. And I am a bloody king!"

Stannis then held his sword backwards and then charged at his still standing foe. "BEND. THE. KKNNNEEEEEEEE!" he screamed, as the pommel of the sword struck the torso of Guiche. The wail of the noble was almost as satisfying as the hails of the students. Stannis stood over Guiche triumphantly, as Guiche looked up in pain he finally submitted, "I-I surrender!"

Stannis tossed his sword on the ground. Kirche looked over the crowd and giggled shyly, Siesta was wide-eyed and Louise approached him in great haste. "Stannis, are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened back there?" Louise tried to comfort.

"I just am- I just beat – my – my head is hurting." Stannis then collapsed at the feet of Louise, again. She tried to lift him up and screamed at the crowd to get help.

The teacher, Colbert, and grandmaster Osmund looked out from the window above the courtyard. They observed the entire battle that took place in the courtyard, they saw Stannis was suddenly losing but still managed to beat the Valkyrie's when the rune lit up. "I told you, grandmaster. I knew the rune on his neck would have done something." Colbert rubbed in.

Osmund looked out the window in sadness. "I guess I owe you a drink then."

The two then walked away. But a girl stayed at the window and got a glimpse of the face of Stannis, it looked extremely curious to her in many ways she never intended. "Who is this man?" She asked herself.

* * *

Stannis then woke up in a fast shock in his brain. He found himself lying down on a bed, a pink and soft bed, that made his body feel as cozy as hot bath water. He looked down and saw he was stripped out of most of his armor, with his trousers and bandages circling around his body like he was being mummified, but he no longer felt any pain or tiredness.

Stannis then twisted at the sound of clapping wood coming from the inside the room He wasn't alarmed as he only saw Siesta bringing a tray of food of bread and water to him, he noticed she was smiling like the duel had never happened before. "I was ordered to bring food to you, lord Stannis. You were asleep for three days and three nights!" She politely told.

"Who ordered my wake-up call, especially when I desperately needed it?" Stannis asked in annoyance.

"Miss Valliere ordered me to bring food for you," Stannis followed her head as she looked over and saw Louise, she was snoozing on her makeup drawers like a child in her wooden pram. She looked completely exhausted, more then Stannis was. "She looked after you all this time." She told him.

"She did?" Stannis contradicted.

He then got a good look at the sleeping Louise. He finally saw a face of innocence within her, that he finally grasped within his soul. He just might take an interest in her. Only if she can wake up and change her attitude in the past three days.


	3. Episode 3 of act 1: A new trait

**Episode 3!**

* * *

A wind blew into the hair of Stannis Baratheon, as calm and subtle as the hands of the Seven. He could hear birds singing and feel the river moving right into his hands like a tide of aqua seawater. Or maybe that was the bucket of cleaning water. It at least cleaned his hands from touching dirty laundry all day. He saw nothing new this day. But at least he wasn't being watch Louise this time, he was always crept out by having those glittering eyes watching him.

Even after he defended Louise's name by going against another noble and scoring the most deceiving win ever, she still assigned him to do duties like he **hasn't**. At worse, he was doing it by the stairs of walking people, like she is trying to shame him! She literally can't tell the distinction between a king and a servant at all, but it is not like she cares.

Stannis then stuck his own head down the bucket, intending to wake himself up, but it ended up looking like he was drowning himself. A soft hand grabbed him by the neck and pulled his face up from the water, soft hands that were attached to an angry pink-haired woman. Here we go again, Stannis thought.

"Don't try to do that," the child grumbled, scowling. Scowls suited her personality and the soul of the bratty girl with a gorgeous face. Not that Stannis has ever met a woman with a face like hers before. He tried his best to try and imagine her as her royal highness in an attempt to make her less of an old nanny, but those imaginations were always interrupted by the annoying voice of hers. A squeak would be the best way to describe the sounds coming from her mouth.

But the mouse was violent. Beneath her smooth and almost pink skin lied a horrid sight that reveals itself when she gets really, really, angry. Even after Stannis swore to be her bodyguard, she doesn't even want him to protect her. It all goes to work, work, and more work till Stannis eventually naps underneath a patch of herbs.

When people walk by, it was extremely hard to say Stannis was the servant of Louise, by at least fifth-teen years backwards, with his toned but aging body coupled with balding hair. Louise may have looked like the daughter of Stannis when standing next to him, but he was actually weaker than her -in the category or magic of course.

A strong - but a bit old - man like Stannis is not someone to do work for someone lesser then a king. Louise obviously didn't care about his previous life, yet she does have minor respect for him. Ah, but can that minor get promoted to major and then to full? Stannis wants to find out; as soon as he gets a good look at the current lands he was in.

Yes, that was it. He knows the name of the lands he was in was called Tristain, but he had no knowledge of the people, monarchy or houses that ruled over this land, so he came up with different outcomes of the state of the kingdom: a house of sheer power stuck in the middle, an elected monarchy, or a duchy that is tasked with gaining soldiers for a much bigger kingdom. All of those theories are likely to be the truth, considering the craftsmanship of the entire academy looked more suited to be a strategic fortress.

Every time Stannis was given an order it always ended up with an argument with Louise, but he willingly chooses to do it to keep himself occupied. He currently worked with no armour on, nor shirt, the only thing was visible was a toned and sweating body that most girls would notice first when looking at him, but most of them would think it didn't go with his gloomy face at all. Neither of them understood the fact Stannis has a secret talent for training.

"I think I am just about done," he said as he got up. He'd been very tired since the morning, all thanks to Louise. When they were awakening in the morning, he could only recall bits and pieces before being shoved out from the room, like he was a drunken husband.

"No you aren't, Stannis," she told him. "After you hang them up, come to the classroom. Do you understand **that**!?" Stannis then grinded his teeth as he made a forced nod to her like she would notice. Damn it, Stannis frustratingly thought as he got back to doing his chores.

Soon after, Kirche and her friend, Tabitha, walked out from the doors much later than the other students. She stopped, while Tabitha kept walking, and noticed Stannis over the steps washing clothes. She giggled at the sight of Stannis taking a hard time from his master. She adored men who worked hard to appease other people, and Stannis looked like those kings who needed a little loving from a girl from their dreams. This might work, Kirche thought.

* * *

The classroom was filled with magic students, and Familiars alike, lining the tables and seats like masters from Essos. Most of the Familiars stood out as a fashion of salamanders, rock turtles, small puppies and cats. Stannis stood out to them as something the complete opposite of them...human. He was literally the only human Familiar in the class, as well in the school, which made him feel queasy about the thought he was just like those beasts.

But unknowing to Stannis, the academy is only the first piece of Tristain he has seen - this is the thing he should **really** be curious about - and he could actually start a few life in the world of magic - maybe. All he knew was that they were not only humans in this world, but something more foreign to him that is yet to be grasped in his mind. He knew ethnicity will mean nothing anymore in a world of magical monsters, flying beasts, and he could predict humans with massive ears, if he is catching the drift.

The teacher of the class stood out in front of the class speaking about magic elements, that Stannis hardly knew, and the students were hardly paying attention, except for some of the higher students. "Our level as Mages depends on the number of elements we can combine. Just what are these levels?" The teacher questioned.

"Yes, teacher!" The girlfriend of Guiche, Montmorency, stood up from her seat and gave the answer, "If you can combine two, you are a line. Three, a triangle. Four and you will be called a square."

"Well done, Montmorency!" The teacher congratulated.

Stannis eyed her when she sat back down. Just like **all** the female students Stannis has met, she was a pretty and intelligent girl. It is strange a girl like **that** could ever be the girlfriend of a girl-beater, Stannis thought. It is a question he asked himself when he first saw her sitting on that table. With a face and lithe body like hers, it is not hard for her to catch a man's eyes with a quick glance - but out of Stannis' reach.

But their was something curious about her, including the rest of the entire class, their eyes. They ranged from many colors but two stood out the most to Stannis: purple and light-blue. They were almost uncommon to have eyes like theirs back in Westeros or Essos. Stannis then had his curiosity back on as he thought up a forgotten race that had such eyes, but he forgotten the name overtime.

"I believe that most of you can only use one, but…" the teacher got interrupted by one of the students.

"Mrs. Chevreuse." The voice of Kirche mixed with an elegant touch came from the back row of tables. "Mind my words, but there is a student among us that is unable to use one without a success rate of zero…" Everyone then turned their heads to the girl beside Stannis. Louise looked as stern as her servant even with all eyes locking on to her.

Stannis then realised why people don't like her, she must be the worst students in the entire school. A magician with no use of magic, unbelievable, Stannis thought as he turned his head. He was then in a worse position then he thought, in service to a magician that doesn't know how to use magic would be worthless to the time. But Stannis had faith that in time she can learn. Could she?

* * *

Stannis and Louise were out from the classroom and were passing through a stony ark, alone. Stannis found the moment off silence a bit unusual, especially when Louise was with him, and thought this would be the only chance his only chance for peace with Louise, not counting the times he sleeps or snoozes. But Stannis really wanted to speak up.

Stannis had the courage to say to her, "I see why they called you Zero now, a magician **without** any magic to deal," Stannis let out, while Louise was frustrated. "It's lucky for something as ugly as a salamander could get such a beautiful lady while I am stuck with a girl who cannot remember that she is giving orders to the very man who saved her dignity by defeating another noble. And what do I get for it? Washing more clothes like it was nothing. And what do I get for lunch? Nothing!"

"I gave you enough, Stannis. You should be grateful I gave you anything." Louise shifted her gaze from upfront and tried to look up at Stannis, who may or may not pick up her sudden calm words. But he was actually being serious with her, so she tried to think of him actually stop whining for once about his position - easy for her.

"If you told me that after you tried to turn me into a dog, I would have said you were a lying sack of shit." Stannis rudely told. He actually wished he switched places with Louise, so she can realize the pain he already been threw. Training with a sword and carefully planning tactics over, and over, again until his mind exploded -and for what? It's not like she had a good understanding of the world Stannis once lived in, unless he wrote a full bible-sized book about his life and forced her to read it and then maybe - just maybe - she would show him respect. But Stannis is still waiting for a thank you from her.

"I'd rather break my whole fucking body than to just do laundry, then walk, and do some more laundry while hundreds of magic-bearers are actually teaching their servants about what they do and about their magic! But I am a king!" Stannis blurted out, "This is not the life I want here!"

As Stannis kept walking up front from her, Louise then stopped right behind him and stayed still underneath the shadow of the stones, just inches from touching the sunlight.

"Y-You can't speak that way to a noble." Louise started to spasm, not in a breakdown way -but worse. If she thought he was speaking too furiously, she should know it is better furious and with a loss-of-mind then calm and threatening.

Stannis then finally noticed he could no longer here the sound of tapping anymore and shifted his body and turned his head around towards Louise. She stood in a very angry looking stance – if ever she could – and had her head down, not making any eye contact with the man in front of her. This cannot be good for Stannis or Louise to get stressed.

She then lifted her head up and shouted, "I will take away all of your meals unless you take back what you said!" But Stannis dryly said, "I would **if it was not true**!"

That was the final draw for them both. There was silence suddenly and Stannis wondered why did he have to add fuel to the fire, but he dismissed the regret as a nuisance. He was not a man to start something with and try to finish with silence, he will keep adding on until the opposition will suddenly stutter in defeat. In other words, Stannis is a man who will never give up.

"Fine. I will take away all of your breakfast too because of your disobedience. First, you pick a fight with a noble without my permission, and now you yell at me! I'm doing my best to groom you to be my Familiar!" Louise let out, but Stannis only gave a loud chuckle directed at her.

"You actually think I care about the food you give me?" Stannis carried on. "The food you give me tastes worse then the fish in the sea. And I wasn't going to back down from a fight because you say so; I did it because I have honour inside of me. I accepted to fight and I won. **Won**!" Stannis was then getting more aggressive, more than ever due to the amount of stress. His face this time didn't make Louise step back, and they were getting on the worst possible foot.

"You actually have the gull to say to me you have done a lot for me!?" Stannis dryly blurted

She slapped him.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment." Stannis then started to chuckle hysterically this time, he hardly felt a single thing come across his face. Louise had absolutely no idea what king of man Stannis was. When Stannis used to be able to kill a man who wronged him with ease - even twice when badly wounded - before he was forced into this world, he had never been slapped before, or he just couldn't remember.

"Compliment," She spat at him. "How dare you play the loyal dog with me! I don't even know how many people have done a lot for you, king Stannis Baratheon. I know - by what I've seen - that you have no notion of how to follow. Oh, I forgot you know how to lead and fight. So tell me, my royal highness, have you ever actually been crowned a king?"

"Let me tell you," said Stannis. "Sometimes you don't need to have a crown on your head to be a king, especially when you have a throne made from iron. When I stood over the edge of my castle, surrounded by salt water, I could see the ships carrying my loyal bannermen who waved my colors high in the distance and it is because they recognized a true king: me. And they recognized me without a golden crown on my head, all they recognized was Stannis Baratheon."

"To finish this off, **Louise,** the only reason I am still with you here is that my kingdom in my original world is destroyed, and now I have no choice but to stay here. I have hardly a choice anymore" Stannis finished.

"Good riddance," Louise disgracefully scorned.

Stannis was in shock, at a loss of words, after she just spat fire into his face. He held in the urge to punch a girl, saving himself from hypocrisy, and only stood there in defiance. He was letting her know she couldn't get to him, not Stannis Baratheon, not ever.

"And don't think about coming back to my room to sleep." She then turned her cloak around to hide her tearing face and left him there in the light.

Stannis then stood there alone with half his body consumed in the shadow. He had no satisfactory about saying that to Louise -he spoke nothing but honesty with her. The two were now a distance from each other, Stannis was not so sure about how to deal with this amount of stress with Louise tugging onto him with invisible leach.

"If only she knew," Stannis whispered to himself.

The stars were coming out, he had to sleep.

* * *

At night, Stannis found himself resting his body on the same plain where he fought the Valkyries, without his armor or sword for a comfortable sleep. The night was cold and reeked of dirt and grass, but it was better than the alternative of hay and an itching back.

He was no longer welcome in the room of Louise this night, but he could no longer care anymore. He found great pleasure counting the massive stars in the sky and observing the two moons cross one another like fire and ice. it was better especially when the red comet did not block any gazing.

He found it quite pleasing to not be able to hear the voice anymore and be able to finally be free from his bonds that held him back indoors in the witches room. He finally thought he was free, with no worry or anxiousness filling his nervous systems. It's good to be free, Stannis thought, but forgotten he is still a Familiar. He at least benefit from his trait of a loner, he actually enjoyed loneliness from everything in the world.

When he was about to close his eyes and go to sleep, a sound of rustling got his attention. It sounded like a couple, or more were sneaking towards him like a pack of dire wolves in the dark. The night actually looked like the right time, but there was no howling.

I'm not alone here, He realized. Shadows of people loomed around him, tall and short people wearing maid uniforms stared right at him. Maids haven't shown their faces for a while. The night became darker as Stannis tried to get back up and draw his unequipped sword, but a lantern shined up and got into his eyes.

Stannis sat up and held onto his knees, and said, "What do you want of me?" A girl stepped forward from the circle of people, and he finally recognized her flashing blue eyes and black hair. "Siesta?" He was ejected by one girl, but another has come for him. How coincidental.

He hadn't seen her face since the day he woke up from a coma, suddenly she appears with fellow maids and disturbs him from his sleep. It didn't please him at all.

"Lord Stannis?" Siesta said.

* * *

Stannis saw himself go from eating bread to eating fresh on a table surrounded by chefs. Food poured onto his table, like getting taxes delivered, roasted meat and mashed potatoes with gravy coupled with the scent of more food being reheated for him. Over Stannis' table stood happy chefs and waitresses, all of which are friends of Siesta and now to Stannis.

"Get the wine ready!" A loud and experienced voice rang to the chefs. Stannis saw a burly man, looked the same age as Stannis, with the clothes of a master chef. He looked to be the proudest for Stannis, but Stannis was only happy for the food.

"Sorry if most of them are leftovers," The man apologized to Stannis, "But you can eat all you want if you could." He let out a chuckle.

"Very good, the food is!" Stannis complimented, biting into more food. "I never had food like this . . . ever! I bet I could a horse if you people made it."

Everyone then started to laugh at his praises, they were all fascinated and grateful that the Familiar King actually liked the food they made. And he was finding that he had more thirst then his brother had, he couldn't wait for the wine they are getting for him, who tried to hide his cup away to make way for the wine. The chefs were a good company for Stannis, and he realised he hardly had any friends when he was back in Dragonstone, only a lover and bannermen. He had sated his curiosity about the looks of some when they made their introductions.

Then finally someone came with the wine, a little too big for a regular bottle, but it was golden as the sunlight. The burly chef then grabbed the wine and held Stannis in his large arms, almost creeping him out a bit. "Drink up, my lord." He urged.

In a sudden stretch, the bottle wiggled its way into the mouth of Stannis and poured gold into his neck. The drink calmed his mind and reflected on why he wanted to stay here. He pushed the bottle right into his neck and began guzzling the wine, now he was becoming like his brother. Everyone cheered at Stannis' determination.

Siesta looked at him with a proud smile on her face and light in her eyes. She liked seeing Stannis like this, calm and happy, rather than stern and aggressive also when he sometimes wished for death. She found a great likeness in Stannis then other men she saw in her life. It was his protection that gave him it.

In the ordeal of the drinking, Stannis suddenly recited a hidden memory that cowered in the back of his head and, like a sudden clip, it spoke to him and said:

 _You see this, brother? This is what will make you a man in the future._

 _I told you already: I am not going to become this . . . disgusting and drunken creature. Try and get me some seawater instead of wine next time you encourage me._

 _Aren't you going to be a lord one day? Don't you want to see what will happen when you will be by hand?_

 _I will not be known as a lord who does nothing but drinks until the stores are empty. I am second-born, and I will not be seduced by the alcohol in your breath._

 _And you wonder why no one likes you. You're arrogant, self-righteous and doesn't stick by people who try to help you make any friends._

 _You think I care?_

 _I know that._

* * *

Later on, Stannis stumbled out from the kitchens holding his bottle in one hand; he was drunk to the brain. He giggled, hiccupped, and laughed as he started to walk past the gardens and wanted to walk back to Louise's room, forgetting he was banned from the room. He obviously drank more then a fish could, but it at least covered the stern face of his.

Siesta then giggled as she watched stumble and roll over the ground from the door, then the door closed. "Goodnight . . . Andal." Siesta whispered.

Stannis managed to bump past many students still awake and crash himself into a few wooden doors when walking past the corridors, doing his absolute best to try and reach his damsel in the room. Everyone knew he was drunk by just looking at the almost empty bottle in his hands - or the way he stank of a dozen bottles of golden wine. He almost realised he was acting the same way his brother was - **almost** \- and also realized why his brother liked wine so much, and he is most likely going to end up like him. He didn't want that.

But fortunate for Stannis, this was probably the only time he went out on a drunken stumble in the night –or is it he couldn't remember the past times? All he did was drink a dozen bottles of wine and suddenly he is on his first step to becoming Robert, but he tried to dismiss the thoughts as a bother.

He didn't want to become his brother by staying away from wine. But no, it's in a Baratheon blood alcohol is accepted, like worms in crops. When students would approach Stannis and ask is he alright? He would say: Yes, I am fine, just bumped into a few walls and tripped over tiny pebbles while as drunk as king. Too honest for kids to hear.

Stannis then found himself staring right at the end of a poorly lit corridor at something long and red, like the red comet, it stared at him like a wolf about to attack. His vision was still blurry from all the alcohol in his brain, but he remembers the tint of red he was looking at. The scales, the tips on its head, and the way it snarled as Stannis waved the bottle in its direction.

"F- Flame?" He tried to speak out, but his voice was weak and sounded like a wind.

Then finally the thing made a sound and started to run quickly towards him. Stannis tried to run but ended up tripping himself over - bad move - and ended up giving himself a headache with a massive thud on the concrete floor. Stannis then tried to crawl away but the weight of the salamander jumped right on top of him, stopping any chances of getting away. Squirming would be useless at this point.

"Unhand me, you little red monster! I swear I will cut you up and turn you into roasted meat!" Stannis threatened it but the salamander didn't listen to his gurgling screaming.

The salamander then lifted him from the ground and carried a squirming Stannis off past the corridor.

Stannis then found himself being put down in a dark room with only light from several candles surrounding his body like a circle. He got uses to the dark with only small amounts of fire guiding him, but it was only a matter of time before he was creeped out.

"Welcome." Stannis recognized that sultry voice from anywhere, even when he's drunk.

"Kirche?" Stannis asked as he looked up. His vision finally came in and he finally saw the bronze skin of Kirche. He saw she was hardly wearing any clothes but it looked like she was in a purple maids uniform, without anything covering underneath her arms or her legs, it looked like a sleepwear but more . . . **alluring**. It was arousing to the point Stannis' heart was aflutter.

"Welcome to my private suite, Stannis Baratheon . . . or do you prefer me to call you Louise's Mannis?" She asked him. Stannis replied, "Just call me Stannis, please."

She then put one of her hands on her head and the other on her hip, revealing more of her body to the peripheral vision. "I know I am doing something I shouldn't with a man your age, but it doesn't matter when it comes to love," Kirche lectured him, "You see my codename is 'fever', my heart tends to burn up, like a torch in the night." Her eyes started to sparkle, and Stannis started to become uncomfortable.

"Then I suggest cool down the fire next time." Stannis japed, making him laugh while Kirche giggled, but she hardly found it funny.

"You don't understand," she giggled, "I'm a princess in love, and the one I love . . . is the king." Stannis now knew what this was all about, but he doesn't know if he could handle a girl like her. But he was drunk enough to indulge it.

Kirche then watched Stannis get up from the floor in little insecurity. He looked like he was about to leave, but Kirche saw he was making his way to the bed and sat down in the center of it. Head to the top and feet on the bottom, he was very confident about this. He then proceeded to take his top off and his boots off. Waiting for Kirche's turn, he left his trousers on and sat up on the bed. Kirche looked at him, following his plan.

"So is that how you want it to be, your majesty." She giggled in delight.

She took off what was left of her modesty and stood before him naked as the day she was born, and Stannis was as hard as the rock sitting on an uneasy soft bed - not the bed he saw comfortable in. He had never seen how oily her body was. Her legs were not skinny but thickened around her waist, all of her body was smooth and was difficult to **not** look at. Stannis liked what he saw, but usually he felt nervous when with girls, but not tonight.

Stannis then grabbed her by her hips and drew her down onto his lap. Kirche was flushed and breathless, her heart fluttering in her chest, she was at Stannis' will at last. He cupped her face in his huge hands and she looked into his eyes. Stannis grinned while Kirche was giggling.

The woman pressed her body against his and pressed a hand to the front of his breeches. "Well, you're no liar about the men lining up for the virgin princess," she said, giving him a squeeze through the cloth. "How bad do you want this?"

"Badly." Stannis breathed.

* * *

Louise sat on her bed, she looked up from her bedsheets and shivered, not at all from any sort of coldness. Something about on how she started to reflect on how she treated Stannis. She realized how angry Stannis must be at her now, she shivered at the thought of his arms around her neck, and it is because he is capable of it. The strength, the coordination, and the stability he showed to her means he is a strong-willed man, like he didn't have the anger, but frustration, to hit her when she slapped him. Louise felt the siren in her mind that told her Stannis is going to want revenge soon.

She shook under her bedsheets. It was the grief and the regret that build up in her during the night. Four after hour and the breeze coming in, and the lantern's light began to hollow, she thought of her Familiar a lot longer then her brain should, he was a man who saved her dignity by winning a fight, silenced people's doubts, and did all he can to dry and get independence, his mind must have blown out by now, he must be cold and soaking out there in the dark, all of it was making her head burst. Sobbing, she pulled her hand free of his and covered her ears against the words in her mind. "Make them stop!" She cried. "I can't stand it, ill apologize to him, just stop it now!"

When the wind blew in again, Louise shut the glass window and locked it and tried to get back to sleep. Her legs were stiff and sore as she tried to squirm the anxiety from her.

Now she wants Stannis to come back, she got from her bed and unlocked the door in case he came back . . . again. She went back to her bed and tried to get some shut-eye, but it was difficult with so many thoughts running threw her brain about how she treats him. She couldn't seem to find peace, unless Stannis came back and **didn't** kill her. She wished Stannis was not so stubborn to just up and spurt out his "honesty" to her face. But if he didn't, he would have had no spine to stand up for himself to an ungrateful little girl. Stannis has plenty of spines to make him fearless.

* * *

Of all the rooms in the academy currently, Kirche's chambers became the warmest and smelliest. All the candles weren't lit anymore and her room wasn't suited enough for a fireplace of her own.

When both Stannis and Kirche finished, Stannis rolled off and climbed from her bed in an exhausted fashion, he could feel young by at least ten years now. He crossed the room, opened the window, and let the cool breeze in the chambers to cool both him and his lover down. The warmth reminded Stannis of the day he tried to conquer King's Landing, but with silent screaming and only two bodies lying down.

The light of the moon and the wind swirled around him as he stood facing the sky, breathless and almost naked if not for his pants. Kirche pulled her sheets to her body and bit her lips, liking what she accomplished for her and the benefits for his stress. He looked somewhat vulnerable but with plenty of life within him, without any armour on or course. Her body still ached from his way of love making, but she couldn't judge a king's way. She wants Stannis, but Stannis wanted to keep this as a secret or Louise will surely freak out upon hearing a word. But Stannis will certainly remember it, if he remained drunk for the rest of his life.

Stannis then put his clothes back on and proceeded to walk straight out the door, with Kirche whispering, "Goodnight, my king." Then the door shut behind Stannis.

His head was thumping like crazy and started to develop a migraine. But at least the pressure between his legs felt good, almost perfect, and his body didn't break a sweat. Stannis actually had a few times with his previous wife, only by oath, and ended up actually having a children. Out of the four that came out, only one wasn't a still born. It came as no surprise that Stannis had never actually got that feeling in his heart when it came to a man's duty, but the only time his heart got the adrenaline rush was with his former priestess and advisor, Melisandre. He did it for a reason, after all, and him and his wife's relations never went up again after the war started, Stannis went to war and hardly saw a pretty face after that.

It cut deep into his heart. Whoever Stannis slept with he didn't care about anyone, Stannis is actually desperate for a new life then the one he lost. It was the one thing he could never forget. His heart for women has become too strong after what happened before he came to Tristain. He would never overlook a girl who is in need of something, as long as it is not something to ponder. As Stannis looked at other women they were always locked on by his vision, and there was a wide selection to choose from. It made Stannis feel worse somehow.

He then found his way finally to Louise's room, opened the door, and went in to finally get the rest he wanted. Tomorrow, he would just forget about it, forget about everything from the past the wine in his stomach is said to be one of the best, it is said it was what possibly healed his brother Robert - until, or course, he ended up being killed. But can he forget his most greatest sin? Not in a longshot. The harder he tried to forget it, the more he thought of it, he can't get rid of it, it is locked in his mind and he must live with it. Ours is the fury, Stannis thought, words that now made sense to him.


	4. Episode 4 of act 1: Apology of one

Episode 4!

* * *

The flag of the Kingdom of Tristain sat and blew proudly against the properly chiseled stone wall, purple with an even brighter purple fleur-de-lis under the awoken sky. It was the only thing Stannis has thought of ever since he placed his hands on the walls. It was for a less creepy purpose.

Stannis **truly** wanted to know when his job would finally be over.

His job as the young Louise's Familiar, a position he deemed too low since the day he was demoted to it ever since he up and crawled into the portal. But he was aware his job would end until she has finally mastered her magic – though, he couldn't tell how long that would be – and he would be damned if he just gave up and broke free from his restrains the first few days. He wasn't a man to give up so early in his life, despite it already was over – since the day he crawled into the portal.

The horribly scarred ex-king looked out the window and saw the glittering sky and the light of heaven shine upon them. And then – despite he is suffering from multiple anxiety attacks - managed to give the sky a grinning smile, at the thought of ruling this land one day, and closed the shutters. Stannis was lucky Louise wasn't there. He would have been chained up again. Luckily he wrecked it before it could be mentioned again. Anyway, it no longer mattered. Stannis already made it clear to Louise that he had no choice anymore but to stay, so his own will is set.

It has been a few days since his battle with Guiche, and his first night with Kirche, he groomed himself for a while in order to remain "experienced" enough to be a warrior. Though Louise still hasn't forgiven him, she still had the courtesies to let him try newer ways to try and get close to her, without any yelling, and he always looked for a way to get away from her, without any chasing.

He hated staying in this world as a servant, he was not used to the bright colors and felt even uncomfortable among beautiful ladies, the salty waters and manipulative women suited him much better. In Tristain, it was all compacting him with the false signs of everlasting peace and the women who looked much prettier than every handmaiden he has ever seen – which is not much, at all - almost like his nervous fears brought to life. The only thing Stannis liked about the current state of the academy is how defensible and architectural it looked to a citadel, like the castle of Winterfell – of course, with the power of magic – coupled with much more children than old men and whores.

Despite all the colors, he had no idea to progress in this world. He studied the books carefully and he had no knowledge how he can be able to make his name known, considering the entire world is made up of knights, sorcerers, and even dragon riders! He was outclassed completely. But fortunate for Stannis, he had as much knowledge to become a knight and a lord, matching the hierarchy they once used, but he was yet to find the right opportunity. There was at least something Stannis can do to show his true strength and virtue. But how can he know what else is in the world?

All he knew was that they were not just humans in Tristain, but something stranger; more than White Walkers, green fires, and women with a man's physique. Everyone, except Stannis, knew humans were the most numerous race in the entire world of Helkeginia, but they weren't alone with the exception of a large exception of beasts, spirits, and pointy-eared elves. All of which are only heard by Stannis is fairy tales he read as a child, what he mostly did, and he was urging to be inside the books. Stannis is no exception to anyone, only a stubborn man with enough **knowledge** to make an exception.

The hardest thing that he could probably find hard to achieve, besides learning magic, is finding a way to get up the steps as nothing more than a peasant – it is a name that he has to accept when in service to a noble, despite how hard it was. A lifetime of wealth and power through armies and ancestral parleys has been blurred completely. He knew nothing but war and strategy since he rode out to join his brother in his war for the Iron Throne, and he knew the knowledge of wealth since the day he paid a visit to the Iron Bank. This all means that he has to use his brains to survive in the world – and that is a lot for a man like Stannis to do.

The coldness in the hay swept a chill right through Stannis' back and sent a shiver through his spine, right through his shirt. Before long every muscle felt clenched and cramped, but he forgot he actually felt nothing but the healing wound since the herbs were replaced. He wondered if Louise was feeling a pain herself, wherever she might be. Louise never seemed to care anymore about him nor hardly spoke to him ever since he stumbled back past the strangely opened door. He had said once that if only Louise knew what he has gone through before he got here, but he had three outcomes: either she would slap him again, finally find passion or she would care at all. All outcomes would be split evenly if he knew how to split chances into three.

If half the tales were true, Louise was the worst magician of them all. If she did summon a familiar to do her bidding, she would most likely have wanted someone to teach her magic. She instead got a king who should've died at Winterfell. Back in Winterfell, Brienne of Tarth was probably still confused about the sudden disappearance of Stannis, who he himself is grateful to be away from. Stannis can see it in his mind his enemies are having a parade about the "death" of Stannis Baratheon, and that was too hard a thought to reject.

Thought he should be grateful, she saved him from a life of utter torture and stress, counting the fact his head is still attached to his body.

None of the students he bothered to ask knew where she was in the morning, nor the teacher - he still wonders why he asked the balding young man - about the girl's current location. But he didn't care, even though he should. I need to get out of here, Stannis tolled himself. If Stannis left the room and wanders around (again) on his own, he would be taking a huge risk. _The_ Stannis Baratheon always takes the risks.

He got off his prickly bed and head out the door, slamming it shut without any care in the hinges. He took a turn down the corridor and head down the stairs, keeping a quick pace to avoid any conversation with the other students. He didn't want to find Louise, but he did want to find another girl in mind. Not Kirche, but he wanted to find someone who was much more "sweeter" looking. A girl that can chirp like a bird and has the body Stannis Baratheon found most appealing to. Siesta was the name to remember, the flower Stannis picked out of trouble a while back – though he hardly saw her much.

When walking down the stairs, he accidentally bumped into someone with a small body stature, sending her down and a variety of books clattering on the ground. He was lucky it wasn't Louise. He glimpsed down and saw it was a completely different girl, but despite her face, he can tell she is a woman. Like every other woman he met, she had a beautiful face with no discriminating features. A golden clip kept an uncanny green hair up above her shoulders, and two sets of glass held up on plastic sat amidst her amber eyes. He didn't even offer a hand in lifting her up, putting his chivalry in peril.

She looked up at him and spoke, "Stannis Baratheon?"

She knew his full name almost immediately, sparking Stannis to light up. "That I am indeed. And who are you? If I may be so bold, most ladies find green a revolting color, that is why most people step all over it."

She let out a mocking " _hmph_ " sound, taking no joke to his failed attempt at humor. "It's Longueville, old man."

He took no such offense to facts. Old was his new way of saying "experienced", it was something he wants to be an optimist about - besides, he preferred being old and strong of flesh than young and vulnerable.

"Longueville, aye?" another name Stannis found too tongue-twisting and fancy to remember, "I just hope it adds to your sheer lack of courtesies to a king."

Her face didn't move. She scanned his body, staring right at his armor and sword, which he forgot he wanted to leave behind and looked right back into his saggy eyes.

" _The Familiar King,"_ her words were full of questioning and doubt, a cunning combination. "About half the Familiars who came from the portals say they are a king," She informed, bending herself over to lift up her books, causing Stannis to stare at her golden clip.

"A king was what you could have _possibly_ been with your sword and armor, but I certainly hope you know it hardly makes a difference now that you are here in a world where magic is the highlight, do you?" She questionably asked, lifting herself back up and giving Stannis a chilling look.

"I do," Stannis said dryly.

She lifted her head with doubt. "Then I suppose you know what it means to be stuck in a world full of people who you will never be," she said, her voice layered with brutal honesty.

"No one is going to care if you've been a king in your previous life, so you're better off keeping it to yourself and **stop** trying to make it become public. Even you should know it. I have been in this position for years, truth be told, and still, I haven't walked up the stairs a single step. If it is nobility you want, you have to plead it to the true royalty of this world."

Stannis was supposed to take in the last sentence as an idea, but he only found nothing but disgust at her words. It wasn't the part about stop making his title be public, but when in fact she just said he was a king but downgraded him by using the word " **true** " in her sentence. Causing Stannis grind his teeth and tried to cover the urge to lash out at her words, but he made a vow not to. He only took a deep breath.

Stannis stopped hunching and straightened his back. "Why are you telling me all this?" he asked, curious as for if she is a spy. "I don't even know you."

She took the opportunity and got right into his face. "I don't know you either, Stannis Baratheon, but every teacher got the message of who you were when everyone witnessed you bashed a young boy's gut in with the pommel of your sword, and you showed no remorse, no mercy when he had tears in his eyes."

"Would they have preferred it if I stuck him with the other end?" A bold question came from Stannis' lips.

Longueville neglected to heed his question, her mind was set on a barbaric background. "Guiche wasn't the point, it is your lack of sympathy I am concerned about. I overheard you yelling at Louise, she slapped you in retaliation, and you didn't even show heart when she walked away, with tears in her eyes."

Stannis thought of pink hair, and for a moment he wanted to weep for her sake but held the urge in, it wasn't in Stannis' nature to cry. "I will save my sorrow until she actually comes back to me."

Longueville seemed amused by it. "You are going to have to do better than that, _Stannis Baratheon_. The world already has enough men begging to be lords, girls pleading to be sorcerers and **way** too much boys wanting to be wizards to keep up." She then walked past him, while Stannis refused to turn around.

"Then what does this world have that's rare?"

She then stopped and turned her shoulders around, giving a grin and eyes that locked on the back of his head. "A warrior, one pure of spirit and doesn't let past actions keep him back."

She turned up her hood to hide her face from any attempts at looking back and left him there in the shadow between the window – perhaps the most interesting conversation Stannis had in a while. He continued his walk, keeping his head straight, and changed his destination before turning back to his previous.

* * *

Louise la Valliere, more preferred as "Louise the Zero", sat her tiny body in the middle of a garden, surrounding herself with flowers that were hard to tell apart. Noon was looking well, but boring if observed too long. She sat alone, with two gardeners that didn't care as much as they should. Her head stared at the sky, then into a book, and then at the rustling in the gardens. She tried to figure out the button that makes Stannis obey and disobey – of course, she wanted it to be left on obey – and figure what the old man wants her to sympathize about what he's gone through. She couldn't understand, and Stannis was surely not going to break the suspense.

Louise believed he was kept with the silence enough. She noticed he didn't mind at all, only about her water flagon. He could have left her. . . but where would he even go? For her, the answer came easy. He would go absolutely nowhere, unless he wanted to be kidnapped, murdered or, even worse, become a bandit. Her mother wouldn't take it kindly if she failed to teach her familiar how to obey her command, her father and sisters too, and she will forever be considered the Zero of the Valliere name. She must find a way to control that man. He's probably begging for another noble to take him in, or figuring out a way to escape; one seemed as likely as the other.

Even if Stannis had wanted to go home, how would he get back? He was brought to the world by a magical force, and she doesn't know the spell to take him back. He even already said he had nothing to go back to, after she slapped him, and he is forced to stay with her. Louise wouldn't be surprised if he hated her, and she knew the reason clearly, but it would be childish for a middle-aged man to hold a grudge after three days of silence. Louise constantly ignored him and sometimes hid herself to study his actions, and she can say this: he has zero motivation; only drinking, staring blankly at others and walking around the buildings, doing what only gods can see.

A gardener eyed her as she got up, tucked in her shirt, and walked a narrow path right past the servants without giving them the satisfaction of a gaze. She wasn't a person to give those who try to climb the ladder any hope, and that is where her bratty persona comes in.

She stopped her stroll of concentration near the entrance, where she saw hot-pink hair facing her. The hair was massive, and it turned around and faced Louise with a sniggering face. Kirche was her name, the girl who was characterized as the most beautiful of her grade. She looked at Louise with a haughty face while Louise stared back with utter contempt.

Kirche was the first to open her mouth. "Louise the Zero: zero at managing magic and a zero ranking when managing your very own Familiar."

"I am doing just fine with him, thanks for noticing," Louise said, clenching all limbs in her body as she started right up.

Kirche leaned over the table, staring into her eyes, and put her fingers over her chin for support. "IF that is true, then why is it I haven't seen you with him for the past three days, Louise? He seems to get around the place on his wounded leg very finely without you, if I may mention."

"Mind your own business Kirche," the pink told, breaking the code of personal space. "For it shall be I with the best familiar, and I have a plan for him. I bet your familiar isn't obeying orders as well. Also, it is not like he needs some brown-skinned bimbo holding his hand either."

"Flame is a hard shell to crack, indeed," Kirche admitted. "But that Stannis man is a yolk when dealing with real women. You just need to know what he likes, what he really wants, and a way to make his body shudder at the presence of yours."

Louise snorted. "I'm sure his noggin would crack someday."

Louise hid underneath her sleeves, away from the now gleaming eyes of Kirche and the giggling of the other students, laughing at her attempts to stay strong, and it didn't help she realized her buttocks still had dry grass on it.

She herself found it hard to believe it, Stannis' noggin is the hardest of the eggs to crack, even when it is partially exposed with his bald spot. She started to doubt that she can control him, he is already disciplined with his military background and honor as a former king – in other words, he outranks her in skill but lacks the aura of magic.

The door behind them opened, and a figure stepped out. Louise looked and Kirche also. They noticed a man, bearing a sword, came walking straight into the open. They can recognize the gloomy face and muscular body from anywhere. It was Stannis Baratheon. He came out and looked in all directions in the sky, looking to be scanning for someone or something – it wasn't surprising. Kirche was the most enthusiastic of the two.

"Stannis Baratheon, my lover, my knight!" Kirche called out, "over here!"

Stannis, as well as the other students who heard the word "lover", looked over to the table of Kirche and Louise. Stannis approached the table with a cup of wine in his hands. He wasn't strolling this time, he was actually walking towards them without care for his leg as if he actually wanted to speak to his master.

Before he opened his mouth to speak to the pink-haired girl, Kirche already got the jump on him and kissed his growling tongue, moaning each time their lips connected. Louise's eyes widened and the other students looked on to see the most beautiful girl in the school kiss the aging man with grey hair. Stannis himself didn't care of the sudden kiss, as if his mind went blank in an instant, but decided to keep her happy.

Stannis remembered when he was dragged into her room (drunk) in the deepest part of his frontal lobe, though it didn't count to him since he wasn't sober, it was more of a drunken encounter with the prettiest bride that quickly turned into the woman doing most of the work.

"Come on Stannis, dear" she put her hand on his good leg, just below his knee. "Are you really going to deny what happened that night."

Her fingers brushed lightly against his thigh, the tensest and firmest part of his body, and missed the part he satisfied her with. "All the ways you felt, grabbed, and pleased my _princess's_ body, hour after hour." Her hand touched his face and smoothed his beard out.

All the students got the message and started to break into quivering shakes and whispers, but Louise stood herself sharp and stern. She wasn't at all surprised he could do that to a noble of Germania, considering her body has claimed the hearts of many and the fact Stannis was awfully tired when he stumbled into her room, three days ago. Kirche taunted Louise, grabbing the parts on Stannis that made him a man, and it certainly sent the other students trembling at the action that went on in the center of attention.

"Miss Kirche!" a loud scream of an old lady yelled.

They both looked up behind and saw the old teacher from the classroom looking them from abroad the windows, waving her cloak to get eye attention from the sultry student and the old warrior, who was grinding his lips at the disturbance.

"That sort of behavior is not allowed, at least not in this school. Stop this at once. And you, Stannis, should be worrying about who you decide to get with, especially when it is a lady of Germania." after that was said, she slammed the windows shut, expecting the two to follow.

Kirche let go of Stannis slowly, not before giving him a final kiss before finally departing. It was only Stannis and Louise now, a king and a magician, two who stayed away from each other are not going to speak again in a conversation. Stannis was the first to approach.

"Louise," Stannis opened up. "I know you're not going to believe me if I tell you I was drunk when I held Kirche tightly, but that isn't relevant at all. I walked out to tell you how much of a -" he got cut off, a tiny finger reached up and touched his lips. Then a slap took place, again.

Stannis looked down and fixed his eyes on Louise, but he wasn't angry at all, and simply stared down at her with a face as blank as thin wood. Nor did Louise look upset, but she certainly meant to discipline him. He had no anger, not anymore, he now knows what most squires had to deal with being in service to nobility.

"Walk with me, Stannis." She demanded.

The two walked right past the crowd of people, with Stannis using his fierce face to get the other students to step aside, and walked into an open green plane of disorienting flowers. It was the perfect place to get some exercise while speaking by walking side by side. Louise, of course, tries to keep up with the six-foot tall man's steps but kept at his side so he can see her.

"Of all the things I expect you to do to embarrass me with, this is just over the limit. You just admit to having a sexual relationship with one of my classmates in front of everyone! Do you know how quickly this will spread all the way to the other families!?"

"A true noble doesn't pay any heed to a sheep's words, only giggles or silent stares at the stupidity of how they are laughing at someone who would soon be above them. Are you taking heed?" He asked, moving his head down to her head.

Louise looked up at him, eyes as shiny as crystals under the sun. "Listen here, Stannis," her voice spoke up, sounding mature for once. "I know you have your freedoms, as much as any man, but defiling that Germania girl behind my back and then making it public to the school?"

"I was drunk when it happened, and I was heading for you that night." Stannis honestly told.

His words then went straight to Louise's ears, and her face quivered at that remark. The creepiness in the way he said that will make anyone think of it the wrong way, but Louise tried her best to sterilize the thought to purity. It was the only thing that kept her . . . well, her.

She set her head straight and blinked her eyes for long periods of time. "I hope you're proud of yourself."

"I am." He did not flinch from his own pleasure. "I am my own man with my freedoms, after all. And if someone is going to make use of the world they are currently in with half their lives wasted in another, they have to change a certain amount of their personality in order to maintain himself, even if it means turning into someone you are not. I have to change myself, and I need your help."

As they walked together, she can see gods shine a light on his armor. How long she waited for him to say a simple apology, she could not say. The thick walls shut out the clamor of the castle, and he could hear birds singing, the murmur of crickets, leaves rustling in a gentle wind. The sun spewed the light of the gods of another dimension, yet Stannis still felt the presence of his gods within him. His leg did not seem to hurt so much anymore.

"I don't intend to believe you; you know?" Louise told him.

"But you can at least listen to this one thing from the bottom of my decaying heart."

Stannis then sat down, Louise did too.

"Before I came here, I was to be executed when the battle of Winterfell was over, a battle I lost before it even started. You saved my life from a brute who wanted my head for horrible decisions I made in the past, leaving me with a thank you. For years of my life, I have been stuck with nothing but responsibilities and one of the worst places to live, nothing but war and usurpers destroying what others have built. And you saved me from all of it. Ever since I crawled into the portal I escaped from the shackles of my world. I have only one regret of my past, I will never forget it, but this is where I can retire."

A very long way to explain one's world experience and say thank you at the same time. Louise let out a smile while Stannis face was still plain, but he was grateful. Stannis still wanted to keep his serious tone, but it was hard when he was free from the worst life he had ever had. The two made their apologies, and now it was time for them to begin to work together because dawn is upon them now.


	5. Episode 5 of act 1: King of honor

"Am I going soft now?" a question that Stannis could never answer.

Stannis wasn't sitting alone anymore, since a single day after the apology he was finally sitting side by side of Louise, even though they aren't interacting as much they at least weren't arguing like they did ever since he just arrived in Tristain. The place that sung the voice of heaven to anyone born in a war-torn environment, especially the likes of Stannis.

"If that was true, then you wouldn't be yourself anymore," Louise answered.

Stannis ignored her. He wasn't looking for an opinion nor an answer.

Stannis sat with his index finger scrolling through pure-white paper detailing the many histories of the current world while Louise was reading a book about magic history right next to him. He was struggling, more of the fact he can't pronounce any of the many houses or countries properly. Germania, Gallia, what in seven hells? He can't get anything right.

But there was something more happening to Stannis then terrible pronunciations: he was suffering, but not in pain nor from his extreme traumatizing past. It was ever since he apologized to Louise did he know something was wrong with him. His temper and extremely strict personality were starting to fade away, like coral being swept away from the beach. He himself theorized it was because he hasn't been keeping tabs on anything up to this point, but the most plausible theory is because of the bright and innocence this world has compared to his.

That must have been it! Stannis was always alone and was constantly keeping his head up due to the frustration and anger towards constant wars and treachery that he had nothing to release his dopamine towards, while in this world he never even had to worry at all about anything – the war was happening in his world while he is here, relaxing on emerald grass and drinking perfectly brewed wine like a pure king.

The greyness was turned into gold, but the copper remained bronze.

He was missing so much, but he shook his head and realized this wasn't him at all, no way would he apologize without justifying his previous actions, nor would he surrender himself to personal pleasures of some bronze-skinned slut, there must be something in his mind. Stannis was a warrior, a fighter, not a man who's drunk on wine and jingles his cock around looking for whores. In short, just like his older brother, Robert. Becoming his brother is the biggest fear he could ever have in his dark decrepit mind.

Ever since he crawled his way into the portal to the world of Tristain, just a week ago, his world came to a halt. It was like the world that tried its hardest to try and kill him has done just that but gave him peace within his own heaven, like a demon receiving redemption for its sins.

Although his protection of Louise was understandable to those who knew his history – which is nobody – when he lost his most precious thing to his own selfish determination. He could never forgive himself for it. But that doesn't justify his mind turning paragon. He had to train, he needed to swing his sword and become a man again – though killing is currently off the chart with magic users present.

He got up and left Louise's side once more, though she wasn't too caring for it, and grabbed his sword in a manner that made it look like he was going to tear something to pieces, which he was.

Louise slightly lowered her book down, enough to simply see what Stannis was up to this time, but wasn't inclined to stop him again. She watched him approach a young servant girl in the middle of an open plain and ordered her to bring something out. The servant girl returned with what looks to be an armored training dummy, despite it supposed to be used for magic lesson purposes.

Louise noticed what Stannis was trying to do and put her book down to watch what the old man was trying to do. She watched him draw his sword and tried to do heavy blows onto the abdomen of the dummy's suit of iron armor, trying to penetrate it with run-up slashes and swift stabs, but his sword just reflected off like slamming wood on metal, proving the lack of training made his arms weak.

Louise wasn't impressed, she went back to reading.

In the mind of Stannis, he tried his absolute best to pretend the dummy was one of his most hated people: from Renly to Roose Bolton, to the bitch who tried to cut his head off, but none of them seemed to produce that much anger for him. Stannis looked up, gasping for oxygen, and got a glimpse of some birds flying under the cloudless sky, showing peace and tranquillity. His rage was failing; his latest strikes did no such damage to the dummy, who's painted sad face was literally the reaction anyone can make to him at that moment.

He spat right in its iron face.

For his final performance, he lifted his sword right up, as high as trying to reach for the Eyrie, and brought it down upon the metallic helmet. It didn't go as planned at all. The sword's recoil bounced right off and knocked the sword right out of his hand. Stannis only stood ashamed and embarrassed – maybe he was getting too old.

He shook his head, trying to remember his grand fight against the golden-haired prick and his magical armored monsters. But that was when he was full of rage and was only a single day since his muscles clenched to fight his way out of snow. He was losing his energy pretty quick, out of pure natural aging or because his lack of fighting made his muscles weak. His rune didn't seem to light up like last time, but it remained.

A swipe was broken by the sounds of sarcastic clapping. Stannis turned his head and saw a sight that he didn't like at all: all boy wearing a silk-white shirt with golden hair was approaching him, a person who Stannis can only recognize as Guiche – the one he defeated in battle with a pommel in his gut. Guiche approached in the most pompous way possible, with each clap being delayed by two seconds, Louise noticed and put her book down and got up. She doesn't want a repeat of what happened six days ago when Stannis let stubbornness get the best of him, so she started to approach the two.

"Guiche, I see your blouse is wine stain-free, it would seem," Stannis spoke first. "It would seem the stain would clean up easy after all."

"It wasn't the wine that took long, it was the mark you gave it with the pommel of your sword that did the damage to the silk." Guiche pompously sassed.

The grey hair looked at him strangely, grinding his teeth.

"If I was full of my pure rage during our fight, I would have cut your hands off, or mounted your head on the highest point of this castle," Stannis assured, almost inclined to punch his head off.

Guiche raised his hands and lowered them down to give a sign that Stannis should calm down, which shouldn't work, as he noticed his face was starting to pulse from the blood rushing. The feeling between to two was mutual, since the day Stannis delivered a karma blow into his stomach in a fight after he tried to slap a woman. It was then the gold truly yielded before the stone, not on papers and economy but on a battlefield.

"Whoa, whoa," the gold uttered, "I didn't come here to insult you or anything. I came to give you a message, out of the goodness of my heart."

"Well speak up than, say the message so I can get back to training, boy." Stannis hurried.

Guiche's face turned slightly pink with frustration, not enough to match Louise's hair. "I presume you pea-," Guiche was cut off when Stannis gave him a frowning face, reminding him he hated being called a peasant. "Er . . . non-magical people like to receive your messages up close, so I came here to deliver it to you personally, out of the goodness of my heart . . . my liege."

Guiche gave a bow, but Stannis knew it was undermining his title as "king." He kept his cool as he stared down at the boy, almost like a broken statue, and managed to keep his fists clenched as his frustration built up. Finally, his muscles let go and he didn't remain volatile, finding a way to not kill people with his sword.

"A message for me, you say?" Stannis questioned. "Couldn't they have sent a raven to deliver your messages, not some pesky golden child."

"A raven? What is this, eight-hundred years backwards?" Guiche asked, giving the king a smirk as he stood up straight.

The look on Stannis' face told Guiche immediately that he had known no other mode of deliverance than a disgusting black bird to deliver their message. It was actually the most modern of transportation to Stannis, but in this world, he must have been a caveman to think of it. Guiche was also meant to send it via wind magic but he decided to meet the "kingly" king who bashed in his stomach again – truly, to try to spite him.

"I thought I heard you wanted to give my Familiar a message, not insult his history, sir Guiche," Louise emerged from behind Stannis, "unless you want him to repeat the last history between you two again."

Stannis looked on as Louise moved from behind his grey armor and marched right in front of him to face Guiche. She had nothing against Guiche at the moment, but she wanted to keep herself on top in order to remind everyone Stannis wasn't on his own anymore. Though, she was grateful that the Gramont family haven't sent any commissioners over to have Stannis hanged for his crimes, even though it spread to the ears of peasants.

Guiche noted Louise's confidence and the fact the two were finally standing side-by-side one another, like an actual team. Guiche did monitor them the past week to the point they split up just a few days after his grand defeat. Them standing with each other in this fashion almost gave him a smile, but he still remembered he was talking to Louise. Louise the Zero. He knew she was on the bottom of the ocean when it came to handling anything, and Stannis wasn't inclined to do anything that he didn't like, even if it was a direct order.

"Nice to see you too, Louise the Zero," Guiche said as he pulled out a message from his shirt.

Louise was the first to snatch it out of his hands and read its words:

 _To Stannis Baratheon, Familiar of Louise._

 _Headmaster Osmond has requested you to meet him up in his office immediately, please come alone._

 _Sincerely, Longville._

Louise read it and expected it to be more "informative." It could have easily been sent by wind magic instead of some golden-haired kid meeting them. She glared up at the sniggering face of the high grader, trying to snigger back.

"Wind magic a little rusty now, Guiche?" Louise taunted, though Guiche wasn't taken back at all.

"Not really," Guiche sassed. "I used mine to intercept it and bring it down into my palms. Doubt you have the magic to do that."

Stannis started to get frustrated at the two kid's bickering, which made him lucky he didn't have any children - not anymore. "Just, give me that."

He snatched it out of Louise's hands and finally read it to himself, easily reading the sentences but struggling with the names. "What the fuck is an 'Osmond?'"

The two students gave Stannis a look of utter disgust. The old man was certainly not one for a choice of eloquent words. The two of them both thought he must have come from a lesser society to have the guts to use foul linguistics in front of two nobles. Though, what did he care? He doesn't share the same tongue as them. And it wasn't like even a noble could hold the urge to curse once in a while.

"It says on the paper he's the Headmaster of the Institute, old man," Louise answered.

The old man gave a strange look, the names here are just as confusing as the people itself, and he just figured that out. He didn't know who Osmund was. Judging by him being the headmaster of all these students, he can only predict he is powerful. Powerful enough to keep these people in check. Only a few people were called up to his office, for breaking the rules or for a private audience, but Stannis was a Familiar - whatever he was called for must be serious.

"What could he possibly need for you, I don't know, but he must be the smartest person in the entire Kingdom of Tristain to request him to come alone, not a little Zero by his side. Guess he wanted to meet the 'Familiar King' for the first time, to which I wish you luck." Guiche finalized.

After said, Guiche walked away, leaving the two to quarrel over the sudden separation, grinning as Stannis kept a straight face until he left. The unfamiliar duo was alone again, but Louise was with a face that showed annoyance, but at least her face didn't go red again, much to the amusement of Stannis. As Stannis tried to speak, Louise reached right up and closed his mouth, all while looking a child reaching for the cookie jar.

"Don't say a word," Louise told, scowling. Scowls never suited her petite little face at all, smiles were meant for her face. Stannis only witnessed her smile only once. He could never try and picture her smiling another time and soil his mind with any visions that could kill him even further. It wasn't in her personality.

Stannis disobeyed and pulled the hand away from his mouth. "Louise, I don't even know this man. What am I supposed to say? Only you can match his linguistics, and that is because you were here long before me. What if it is an expulsion for my past crimes?"

"The headmaster doesn't intervene with the lives of Familiars, especially you. But he likely wants a chat with you to remind you of your place here."

It made sense of the moment, except the part where he wants him to speak to him **alone**. Stannis and Louise were literally speaking to each other without moving their lips, they already know what each other are going to say: Stannis trying to reassure her and Louise replying in a bland remark. Louise snorted.

"I give you permission to leave my side. . . again."

But Stannis noticed her eyes were burning red, like a child with a tantrum, she was frustrated that Stannis is always leaving her side, but this time he was to see the headmaster himself. She didn't want him to cause any embarrassment then the day he fought Guiche and gained attention from the students with his fling with Kirche, though she remained cool after Stannis told her to not take heed of the "sheep." Still, Louise still wants to train him to follow her commands, but it was events like when the two were separated that kept them apart. As of now, the closest thing to a servant and master is that Stannis protects her.

Well, let her enjoy her plots, Stannis always thought. She was much sweeter when she thought she was starting to get the hang of him. Managed to amuse Stannis to no end.

"Don't worry, Louise. I'll come straight back as soon as I am done with the meeting."

Louise finished it off with a, "I hope so."

Stannis gave a nod and left, leaving Louise alone. He already knows the tallest tower has to be where the headmaster has to be, now it is only the matter of how to get up there. He wasn't going back to ask Louise since he isn't walking twenty steps back to ask her.

In the mind of Louise, she was actually concerned with their relationship at the moment, she keeps being left alone in these strange happenings when she is supposed to be disciplining him to be the most loyal servant. Kirche managed to get her salamander to follow her orders and even the blue-haired pupil Tabitha has a dragon at her command! But she doesn't know truly who Stannis is or what his people are really like, thus she doesn't know how he thinks or behaves to other people on his level.

* * *

"I cannot refuse the orders of a royal order." Siesta said to herself, piecing together the parchment given to her.

In the contents of the finely displayed parchment, it gave her the order of royalty itself. This was only one of the first times she got an order from nobility – the one that counts – and she actually wasn't inclined at all to travel to another's service. She actually liked it here, but a mere peasant couldn't refuse an order from the Palace itself. The Princess' name was on the very bottom, and that means she can't deny it.

She stopped just to think of what she has to lose and realized only one person was to possibly mourn her loss: Stannis. The two haven't spoken for only a day, the last time was when he asked her for a bottle of wine, and the two barely spoke to each other socially. But she did indeed like him, not only because he saved her but because of his will to continue in a world he doesn't even belong in, no matter how much stress he puts himself through.

She then left the room, not intending to delay the carriage any further.

"Siesta?" said a recognizable voice.

Her attention was caught almost immediately in shock. She immediately turned to see Stannis was waiting right outside the door.

"Stannis?" Siesta gasped.

The two caught each other's eyes. Stannis was more confused as he saw she was out of the outfit, now dressed in a "casual" uniform that didn't match up with her hair and eyes at all: a skin-orange dress with leggings that stretched down to her buckles. She looked like a servant now, but too "revealing" in the eyes of the older man. The way he saw made him actually compare her to a Braavosi whore – without any exposed breasts nor cunt, just the style was of plain color with an attractive figure inside.

He then grabbed her uniform, frolicking the dress as Siesta started to get agitated. She didn't mind it when people touched her, but this wasn't about feeling. If he knew what was going to come to her, he would do anything in his power to ruin it.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked. "Why aren't you in your maid's uniform, this one will surely get muck on it?"

At that moment, Siesta pulled herself away, holding her body as if Stannis just molested her, which he kind of did. She then started to back away, then turn away, and then started to sprint down the hall.

"Siesta!" Stannis almost yelled as he dashed forward, almost grabbing her by the arm until it slipped out of his grasp.

Stannis kept a demented look as Siesta's trotted away from him and ran down the corridor and down the stairs, hurrying to get away from him as soon as possible. He stood still for a solid two minutes until a voice called him in, almost shocking him as he almost lost self-awareness. Though, it confused him that Siesta, the woman he never saw since the day he got up from unconsciousness, was starting to avoid him, especially when he saved her from having her pride hurt.

Well, let her enjoy herself, Stannis thought. At least she is still at the Academy for him to say hello later on. He knew personality would charm her, make her like him, and probably end up in love, one favor repaid for another. Amiable as she is, it would only hurt Stannis if he was to let the bird fly that easily without seeing it one last time.

He went inside and closed the door behind him with a loud bang, ready to get out of there as soon as possible.

The room was the size of the master bedroom of Dragonstone, but not sturdy enough for a dragon monument to be balanced on the walls. Stannis spotted Longueville walk right past, giving him a very snide look as she walked out the door, leaving only two people in the room. "Pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Stannis Baratheon," an oddly pitched and croaky voice emerged. "You may step forward if you wish."

Stannis flung himself around and faced forward to see the man who called him. He pictured the much older man's physique into his head. The man had long and beautiful hair and skin as white as pure snow with a beautiful iris that reflected lavenders into the eyes of Stannis, not as pretty as Louise's though. He looked very familiar, but it took Stannis a while to realize he looked exactly like a Targaryen, a Valyrian to be exact. He didn't jump to any conclusions, but he was so suspicious that he couldn't just assume it was convenient just like the girl with green hair – he just hoped he wasn't the Mad King all over again, or he'd be the next Jaime Lannister.

"You're Osmond?" Stannis spoke.

The white hair sat forward, going over a log book. "I see you got my message. That is the name I was born with, as of yours."

Stannis took the last sentence as a compliment, though hardly saw any quote within it. "Save me from some fancy language, I came because Louise and Guiche told me you are a very important individual, and because I came to see what was up this tower."

"Oh, no, no, no." the white hair chuckled, closing the log book. "I called you here to discuss **you** , not me."

"Is that so?" Stannis quizzed, not bothering to take a seat from across Osmond's desk. "I didn't know my reputation already proceeded me here, despite the fact I have nothing to go on nor a will to live."

Osmond couldn't help but chuckle. Stannis sure wasn't good with a choice of words to strangers, even though he was supposed to be a king; where words would matter. But he wouldn't bother asking about the crown he once had on since he only wanted to get out of him a few things.

"So tell me, is this about the battle with Guiche? If that be the case, I already got an earful from Louise and I don't care anymore."

The white hair shook his head, irritated enough to simply tell him the problem. "It isn't the fight we are concerned at the moment with at the moment, it is you, Stannis. It is you and your attitude towards others is the reason you are in my office right now. The fight between you and Guiche is something we almost couldn't manage to slip out into the world. There are even some students who asked me to ship you out to work somewhere else, especially the ones you mocked, reported drunk on wine at the time. I only ask you keep yourself under control."

Even the slightest bit of information made Stannis jolt up. "Is that why you asked me to come here, to tell me what is happening at the moment and what people think of me? Why the fuck didn't you just right it down on the piece of paper that Guiche intercepted instead of telling me to come all the way up the bloody steps to tell me something like that?"

"I only wanted to see the man who single-handedly managed to cause a stirrup in a week than a traveling elf. I am not one to judge, but I notice the way you walk, the way you talk and the way you look at others. It is like you operate in a different time frame. You don't seem to have any motive here at all. You've got a problem, don't you?" Osmund questioned, eyes glaring into suspicion.

"What business is it to you? You don't know me, and you sure as hell in the Lord's name you **don't** want to know _King_ Stannis Baratheon, coming from the greatest failure in the history of MY world. I am only here to do the duty I am charged with as repentant for my sins. What of my history could you need?" Stannis asked, reluctant for an answer.

"I don't know, but I picture you would be more tyrant than the noblest of kings." Osmond interpreted.

Stannis got stressed really quickly, but he didn't fall into the bait. He was in his forties and he grew up in Westeros, so he knows this man is itching for him to make a bold revelation.

"I don't know what kind of king you are, but you are definitely not like the ones who came from here," Osmond continued. "You came here a wounded man, you had the gull to fight a noble and then gotten drunk so easily! I am not a wizard who delves into the minds of people whose mind could hold the knowledge of another world, so I can't bare but ask you this: what are you doing here if you were a king?"

It was then Stannis got up, frustrated about everything, more than he already was. How long could hold in the will to speak his mind, he could not say. It was quiet here, only Osmond's ears listening. The thick walls shut out the vibrations of an argument, including how high the tower was. He had to get it out of his system, yet Stannis was still inclined to keep the majority of his secrets to himself. He bent himself over the table, both hands on the other end, and took a deep breath.

"I never asked for this. I never wanted this. But I am grateful I'm out of Westeros, but I never wanted to be underneath anyone. I crawled into this world out from my biggest military failure, being too much of a coward to accept my fate, before I was almost executed. And this is what I come to? I am no one anymore, my house and name don't matter, I don't have any name to me and I showed up here as an old man. The only thing I know what to do is to kill, that is my only trait now. But I can't even do that now either."

Osmond raised an eyebrow, satisfied he revealed himself to him but not enough that he is referencing all these stuff he isn't aware of. "So then, you are a barbarian, aren't you?"

Stannis looked at him, annoyed of his limited vocabulary of war, and pushed himself off the table. " **Warrior**! I'm a fucking **warrior**! Not a barbarian – a **warrior**! Does anyone here know the difference between the wine and ale?"

"Fine, fine," the white hair said, trying to calm the mood, "you're a _Warrior King_. One who isn't at all determined to prove himself to anyone, but only when he wants to. You may be close to my age, but let me tell you something right now."

Osmond then got up and slowly walked towards Stannis. "Everyone saw what you did to Guiche the day after you arrived here. He may be pompous and stupid but **he** has a name to him in this world. One word from him to his family or anyone in Tristain and you would have been hanged for assault, and that is your greatest flaw at the moment: stubbornness."

Stannis turned to face the old man, giving a face of discontent. "Wars are one threw stubbornness. Guiche is the type of child who's never been disciplined in his life about anything, that was proven when he tried to strike a lady for spilling wine on his pretty little blouse, I gave him what he should have gotten every moment of his childhood."

"And you tell me you have been disciplined? How is it you have come to attack Guiche for a business not yours when I saw you didn't react at all when Louise slapped you, only taking it as an honor?" Osmond asked, getting right up into Stannis' personal space.

Stannis gave him a look of annoyance. Osmond was getting on his nerve with his repeated debate of what Stannis can and not do. Osmond should know Stannis is not to be toyed with, especially after he just told him his pain. But in a way was clever of him; teaching Stannis he cannot be right all the time. The white hair can just keep at him until he admits his wrongdoing.

"I'm trying to appease the little girl, but I also needed people to know I wouldn't let anything happen to those I'm an acquaintance with. But my true motive was honor, something that's likely lost in your history books since Guiche had no sense if decency for women who make a little mistake. I am not a lady's man nor an elegant man but I know a limit to when to act and to say. He just had to say something and be done with it, but he chose to act and got discipline as a result." Stannis said, monologue along the way.

Osmund shook his head in disgust. "It wasn't your choice to make, Stannis."

"Then whose was it?" Stannis snapped. "Yours? I didn't see you when I was getting my arse beaten by a metallic monster, nor when I pummeled my opponent's guts on the inside. By the way, I get enough discipline from when I was fighting a war against four kings." Stannis revealed, shocking the older man to stepping closer to him, only realizing what he just said until it was too late.

"Wait, there were four kings? And you were the fifth? What kind of kingdom did you say you ruled again?" a torrent of three questions emerged from Osmund's mouth.

Only one person knew the "War of the Five Kings" in this world, and that was Stannis – even though he never fought three of them in his campaign, excluding his own brother. Though Stannis wasn't inclined to give away his history so freely so he decided to make a bold move.

He gave him a nudge on his shoulder with his fist, indicating him to back off from the questions. Luckily, Osmond bought the warning, as most would take it as a strike.

"Fine," Osmond grudgingly told. "Then what about your little fling with Kirche? You obviously have no care in the world if you could have your way with a girl and avoid the possibility of pregnancy. Her body was meant for a worthy groom, not some dirty royalty wannabe!"

"She told me she used a potion that killed the eggs before they hatched," Stannis answered, showing no remorse. "For a _grand wizard_ , you sure don't know your own remedies. And I am sure a groom won't tell the difference between a virgin, nor care, especially if the girl looks like **that**."

"You said you were drunk when you told Louise of the situation and couldn't remember. Don't ask how I know. Unless you . . ."

Stannis gave a slow nod as he was reaching over for the wine on Osmond's desk. Osmond and Stannis were thinking the same thing: Stannis paid another "visit" to Kirche. It was the only way he could have known. It was only three days ago since his first time with her, and people would expect him not to see her another time? He wasn't in love with the girl, nor did he want a relationship, but he needed her to relieve the stress he was in - and that was the most truthful thing that can describe his and Kirche's current relationship.

"Oh, Stannis, Stannis, Stannis. You're such a naughty old boy." Osmond chuckled, shaking his head.

"Once the lilies are sullied, they can't be undone," Stannis said, slowly pouring a cup. "By the way, it's her body and Louise's determination that are keeping me from slicing my own throat right now. I have no care in the world now, considering I'm already dead in my old world."

Osmond then moved slowly towards Stannis, giving a sarcastic grin, tapping his staff each movement. "Oh? Well, then you wouldn't care that Siesta, the young maid who's honor you defended, is moving to serve Count Mott. She's moving away, away from you."

Stannis stopped mid-pour of his cup and tilted his head to look at Osmond, lifting his half-filled cup to his chest. The wine was black and thick, so strong it matched the mind of Stannis' current thoughts. The white hair finally got the uncaring king to care, and it only took a black-haired maid to get his attention in his own presence.

Osmond went back to his chair and sat down, hands under his chin. "Don't bother going to the chefs, they would tell you the exact same thing. But it is true that Siesta is moving into the service of Count Mott, guess he took a liking to her and demanded an official order from the Princess to have her come work in his presence. She didn't want you to know about it at all until you saw her."

Stannis thought of it for a moment. Why was Siesta so afraid of him? Did she think he would have came after her to try and protect her? Maybe. But Stannis wasn't inclined to just give in to his heart so easily, but it was her face when she was about to be slapped by Guiche is when he got his heart back.

"How do you know I care for her?" Stannis asked, sipping a portion of his wine.

"I remember a time when I was younger than you I protected a girl once – not like Siesta, though – and she ended up trying her hardest to repay me for the deed. You, Stannis, are aware that she tried to repay you once, though you ended up being drunk afterwards."

Stannis gave an uneasy look. "How do you know all this?"

"I watch. From the top of my tower, I can see what happens, and you are the most interesting character I have ever laid eyes on until you go inside of course."

"She's just a maid, just one I happened to protect." said Stannis, taking another sip from his cup.

"Even at an old age, I can tell when a man is lying or not. You just told me that you have nothing in this world after you left your old one. A man with your mentality is to protect the ones you've already protected until you do have a life again, and that **was** your motive for protecting Siesta in the first place. Not caring at all, even though you already knew magic existed in this world."

"Alright, I had enough of this debate." said Stannis, slamming his cup onto the table. "Can I just leave now?"

"Fine." Osmond allowed. "But remember, don't do anything rash. Your master wouldn't like to see you fail her. So be off."

* * *

Count Mott is a messenger from the palace who comes by the Institute from time to time." Louise told Stannis while brushing her hair in front of a mirror.

Stannis was paying full attention to Louise, even though he was hanging onto the wood of the window and staring at the beautiful sunset that gave light and breeze into the room. It at least calmed his concerns about Siesta down a notch, but not enough for him to stop caring. His ears were open to Louise's information.

"I don't like him because he's just like you: cocky." Louise's insult was intended.

Stannis wasn't caring about her insults, only about how he would treat Siesta. He would never let her come to any harm at the moment, especially if it was only six days after he just risked his leg trying to save her – which would be utterly horse shit for Stannis. He saved that girl, and he won't let her go like this.

Stannis turned his head around and had his ear stare at the side of her head. "Then why would nobility want a so-called 'peasant' for his household."

Louise put down the brush and worked on her powder. "Obviously in your world, you are forced to marry nobility and form pure lines for your own good. Here in Tristain, we can keep anyone as a mistress, and I presume Count Mott intends to keep her on the same leach as you are to me."

The grey hair suddenly snapped and cared at her words. His emotions showed he was worried, worried for the timidest girl he ever met in his life, and he can feel it. It was like a blood was clotting in his head like he can actually feel it going through his body. But he didn't shed a tear, not again, he wouldn't dare spoil the memories of his past with tears of meager things now.

He had to know if she was safe and sound. He had to see her again, but Louise would never give him the directions to Mott, nor anyone else would help him. He only knew one other person he can look for directions to a Count's mansion. Stannis then moved away from the window and walked right out the door, Louise giving an annoyed sigh as she noticed in the mirror.

"Disobedient old coot," she said, patting the fluff onto the powder jar.

* * *

The dining room was filled with students, quite a lot this hour of the night, enjoying a well-made portion of the chef's dishes while chatting with their fellow classmates. The look of all of them made each and every one of them diverse, and that was their greatest strength: none of them looked or were the same. Any Westerosi person would try to classify them as smallfolk, commoner or nobility but here it is all different. Stannis thought of the fact as he entered the room.

Stannis was almost the center of attention as he walked past the students with his head tilted up in a fashion that said he is looking for a particular person, heading to the end of the room where a student told him where the certain golden-haired boy would be, though he questions if it is the truth or a ruse to lead him in circles.

It was at the end of the room where he finally found the golden Guiche, chatting with his girlfriend while calmly taking sips of a wine-filled cup. Stannis took an interest in the small pies at the end of the table.

Guiche stopped his chat upon seeing a sword dig right into one of his pies and pick it up, shocking him into almost dropping his drink. He looked up and saw some old guy in armor standing over his table, but quickly noticed the flaming stag heart on his chest. He looked in utter anger as he finally realized Stannis was standing over him, eating his pies like he ordered them.

Stannis was first to speak, with a mouth full of apples and pastry. "Guiche, just the person I wanted to see."

Guiche swung right up and up onto the table with the old man snacking on his food. "What is it this time? Come to your senses and want to swear an apology I never got?"

"One: I need to like you first before I dishonor myself," Stannis declared. "And two: I just came to ask you something."

Guiche stared in astonishment, Stannis no longer spoke to him in a hostile manner nor did he look like he was going to kill him. He actually needed the golden hair's help. Both of them weren't inclined to become sudden acquaintances, but both wanted to put aside their differences for once, though Stannis didn't like it he had no choice – and that much he knows about hostility.

Stannis wished he could savor the moment the two were actually were talking, but time was short.

* * *

Hours since Stannis left, Louise has grown yet again worried, but not for his wellbeing. Stannis knows how many hours he has of free time until he has to go back to Louise, but this moment was longer than anticipated, so she has no choice but to find him now. She already checked Kirche's room - thankfully not there - and even the gardens but there was no trace of a stubborn armored man in sight.

She checked almost everyplace to the point the dining room was the last place to search of the whereabouts of her missing Familiar. She even brought a bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy to please their relationship, though he can expect a certain _someone_ to give him more than he hoped for, more than twice in a matter of fact – she'd be damned if he went back into her room, more than twice.

Then suddenly a new body entered the dining room, pushing a cart piled with self-prepared food, which can be distinguished by the lack of wine to go with it. Louise sighed as she noticed the hot-pink hair of Kirche was pushing

"Hasn't he got enough from you?" Louise snapped. "He already claimed your heart . . . and body . . . and now you want him to accept every bit of proposal you put forth to him? Let it be known that he and I are on proper terms, and I have every will to keep it so."

Kirche was puzzled, more at the fact he wasn't even here. "Then where is he then? If he isn't with you he sure would have been in my bedroom for the third time, but he didn't show up, leaving me to take care of it myself."

Louise shivered, so did a few ears listening onto the conversation.

"Leave your disgusting bedroom antics out of it, Kirche!" Louise screamed. "Look, I want just want to know where he is. I admit I am worried that he passed out somewhere, drinking a cup while interrupting other of our peer's businesses. If you don't know . . . then go do something else than standing there with your trolley."

"Oh, you're just jealous I got to him first." Kirche said, Louise responded with, "Jealous of having some old man lie on top of you and probably end up having my virginity wasted for an ex-King?"

The two rival's eyes glowed into each other - though merely three eyes were glaring, courtesy of Kirche's hair. No one can truly say these two were fighting over the Familiar King, but they can say they both have a knack for his attention in two parts: Stannis' loyalty to Louise and his lust for Kirche. Though the only thing they had in common is that they both vow to give Stannis his motivation to be the King they think he was, but nothing was going to convince them to help each other.

"I know where he is." a sound of a certain pompous child emerged.

The two looked over to the table where Guiche was sitting. He was looking quite pleased with himself, sitting with his legs crossed and his face sniggering with delight. His current stature confused both Louise and Kirche.

"He came to me an hour ago," Guiche continued, "wanting nothing more from me than the location of Count Mott himself. I couldn't deny the service of a victor in combat, so I decided to tell him the exact direction. Since he isn't back by now I presume he -."

" **HE LEFT THE ACADEMY**!" a shrill scream emerged from the little girl, interrupting Guiche in the process.

Guiche gave a snide chuckle, Kirche following along. "Well, it's obvious he doesn't want to be here anymore so he fled. If it is a pathetic familiar like mine, it wouldn't be obvious, but this is Stannis Baratheon we're talking about. He probably wants to get higher."

"He sure wouldn't get higher stuck at a low zero," Kirche added. "But I'm sure he can look after himself."

Kirche patted the frowning pink girl's head and walked off away while Guiche turned his body away, leaving Louise alone with the thought that Stannis has just left the safety of the Academy into the wild.

Stannis was more than capable of anything. He could end up traveling and join a foreign army, he could end up encountering a monster in the woods … or he could end up in the capital. Louise was freaking out, and it wasn't her thoughts that were doing it this time, she was terrified of what Stannis could do since he was alone, free from her grip and out of her sight. She knew she shouldn't have let him be independent, now he could be far away now. Luckily she too knew the location of Mott.

* * *

Stannis approached the estate on foot, knowing a horse would have attracted too much attention, and it only took an hour of walking down a cobbled road to reach the dirt track that leads to this point. He didn't expect it would be so close, but that is probably because there are no bandits on the road, which is expected in this world.

Stannis came to an outer gate that bordered the inner layer that had the manor. He took a moment to admire the architecture of the stone walls before getting a glimpse of the manor's true size, big enough to be worth more than a castle in Westeros with enough grass on the inside to house an entire military legion. But Stannis had already got a full glimpse of the Academy, so he wasn't impressed.

He approached the front side of the wall that led into the interior and rested upon a silver door, resting his legs while the art of the door dug into his resting head. He huffed and puffed, getting his bearings back as his body slowly crept down the door and his buttocks almost touched the ground, have his knees not pulled his stature back up.

"Find Siesta, find out who this Mott is, get out," Stannis told himself, easier said than done.

He was so caught up in his moment of thought he didn't notice the guard approach him from the sentry he failed to notice. The guardsman approached him, spear in hand, heading towards the old man who decided to rest on his master's door.

"Halt!" a voice shocked Stannis, who only stood straight up. "Who approaches the estate of Count Mott?"

Stannis stuttered, the man wielded a spear that could skewer a bear. But he kept his cool and answered in a confident tone, "I came here on business, came to meet with Mott to discuss something."

The guard gave a confused look. "On whose authority?"

Stannis simply replied, "Mine."

…

Inside, Stannis was being led to his destination by up to four guards, at least he wasn't being dragged, but was stressed of the fact they took his sword and armor from him as if he was going to take on the guard himself. They at least let him keep his wine bottle – at least a little something to not get pissed about – but that wasn't going to help him as he passed multiple eyes of guardsmen.

He took note of every position and where every guard was stationed, in case this all goes downhill, but they didn't look like the men he fought at King's Landing or the North, these ones looked more battle-hardened than even his former elite guards. Sure, Stannis wasn't a pushover either, but that is only if he can make himself to be an aging fighter, but he kept remembering the dummy and it kept hurting his mentality. But they weren't made of steel, only flesh, bones, clothes and copper cuirasses.

Copper? Stannis thought. He thought of the irony a Westerosi currency is being used as an armor piece in this world, though again he wasn't impressed, he knew at least copper yields before steel. Though the spears they had were diffidently the main force of these guards, it was literally large then a pike! No cavalry unit from Westeros could ever get past if only a few hundred had the same spears these men had, not even Dothraki, but it was a blacksmith's sword that was made to contend with the spear, one that was taken away from Stannis.

He was then led into a room lit to the maximum with chandeliers and candles alike, making him feel like home in Dragonstone – he almost didn't miss going home, though there was a tiny spark in his heart that allowed some feeling of homesickness but not enough for him to care. Only five individuals filled the room: Stannis, two guardsmen, a strange-looking man and some maiden. Though he saw the maiden chatting with the Count, she crept behind the burly man before he could get a good look at her, giving him a better view of the Count. There was only one girl Stannis was looking for and the man who had her location was right in front of him.

Stannis' first glimpse of the Count left him saying in his mind, "What a hideous man." Count Mott was one of the highest-ranking nobles in the palace, also one of the ones who doesn't have active family members other than himself. He dressed in a blue and red combination of clothes that didn't go well with his physique at all, nor did that white fluffy thing around his neck. He could have been actually good-looking, if it wasn't for that ridiculous mustache around his face, almost making Stannis chuckle as he noticed they matched his eyebrows. He would have been the joke of the Seven Kingdoms if he ever showed his face around Westeros, maybe even east in Essos.

Louise never mentioned any of his features to Stannis, probably to spare him the laugh. But despite his ridiculous appearance, he was larger than Stannis but doubtful he would use his size to intimidate him, only magic. Magic that the older one didn't have. He was defenseless, alone and defenseless.

"Who is this _strange_ old man you brought me here? Is he some old beggar come to try to sell me pig shit again?" Mott spoke, his voice so intimidating it shocked Stannis.

Fuck you, Stannis thought since he wasn't inclined to speak his mind. One of the guards who escorted him came up, just a meter in front for him to get a good look at the spear he wielded.

"He came to the gate, sir. This one said he comes on his own business, believe it or not."

"Judging by how he isn't bowing to me since he came through the door, I can tell he isn't a man of decency or courtesy. Already the stench of him is making the gold turn yellow as rotten eggs."

Mott moved forward, the girl behind him turning her body, and approached so close he reached a close-up with Stannis. "Travelling merchant? No, you're dressed for the sort. An old peddler? Not likely, you don't seem dirty enough. What about a soldier in the Royal Army? Definitely not, the military has thicker armor, not that light chainmail you wear, nor does it bore a sigil like that on your chest. So what would you be?"

"Just call me Stannis, Stannis Baratheon." the intruder answered. "I came on my own business, one that isn't going to come by a longshot. I only seek a certain someone beyond these walls that I wish to return beyond mine."

"Oh, really?" Mott said, his voice suddenly groggy, moving towards the still shying maiden. "If it is someone you seek in my household, then it is definitely someone who arrived just recently because I already have enough pretty maiden in my home to reside. But am I guessing you came for a girl with lovely black hair?"

Stannis nodded, surprised about what he was about to say before he even said anything, but took note of the fact it was only this morning she left his side to the household of Mott and he showed up eight hours later. It was too obvious for his own good.

The Count then came to the girl and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I presume you must be referring to my newest edition to my _Peasant Corps_."

The so-called "maiden" then was forced to lift her eyes up, like a shining star. Only Stannis knew what kind of eyes could go so well with black hair, and it was Siesta herself. Stannis finally found her, but she looked like she was going to faint like a savior has come to her rescue, which it was indeed.

Before Stannis could speak to her, Mott said the words, "Leave now, Siesta. The grown men are here to talk."

Stannis almost lost his cool as his dismissed her with a tap on her buttocks. Siesta hurried out the door with the two guards closing behind her, not giving a glancing look at Stannis. It was only Mott, Stannis and the two guards now; two lions and two handlers.

"Well, I hope that you are satisfied to know she is safe and sound . . . now begone! You already dirtied the carpet with your peasantry filth." Mott ordered.

Mott tried to turn his back on Stannis, but the latter refused to leave. Stannis didn't actually come to see if Siesta was alright, he wanted something more.

"Hold on you, you don't make a girl leave just to tell a man **that**!?" Stannis called out, not enough for Mott to turn around. "I came here to request Siesta be returned to the Institute, and furthermore–."

"You would demand something from me?" Mott interrupted. "A peasant like yourself doesn't have the right to make demands from nobility, and I presume the way you came in and didn't bow, and how you aren't referring me as Lord Mott, tells me you don't have respect for your betters. Now you expect me to listen to a demand from yourself?"

Stannis stood firm. "I didn't come to appease yet another so-called _nobility_ , I came to free her from this place to where she belongs: a servant of the Institute, not to you. I am not going to let her body be dirtied by someone with the face of a jester."

" _Hmph_." Mott crossed his arms. "I wouldn't let her go back even if she begged me. A man of noble birth can do whatever he wants with anyone lowborn, especially you. It isn't like you can stop me, especially when you have no weapon or magic at all. You're just a peasant."

Stannis couldn't take his arrogance, not another word. With all his anger he charged at the nobleman in an idiotic fashion, forgetting he was unarmed and there were two guards in the room who grabbed and stopped him immediately by holding him behind their spears. Stannis wasn't trapped, he still had the mouth to speak, and the arms to try and claw at him.

"You fucking cunt!" Stannis screamed, intending to spite the Count.

Mott was shocked, angry and annoyed all combined, not a good combination for a man who's born to rule over peasants like Stannis. This old man has the gall to insult him in his own home, though brave but stupid at the same time.

"You, a mere old peasant, dare to insult a nobleman!" Mott yelled, turning towards a wooden club.

Mott picked up the club and told his guards, "Make him kneel before me!"

Before any order could be carried out, the door burst opened and Siesta came in. She was listening from the door the entire time, hoping Stannis wouldn't do anything that could get him killed. "Stop it, Mr. Stannis!" she yelled, gaining the old man's attention.

"Siesta? You heard me?" Stannis asked, but it wasn't met with Siesta running towards the Count.

She came in front of the Count and bowed before him, clearly telling the entire room Mott is literally a more respected person than him, one that she fears. "Lord Mott, please forgive Stannis for his rudeness, he didn't mean it."

Mott kept his body steady and the club in his hands firm, clearly intending to beat some sense into the rudeness part of Stannis' mind. "No, his insults were clearly intended for me, no one can tell me otherwise. If I don't punish this lowlife, it will tarnish the name of Mott. Now get out of my way!"

"N-No." Siesta gasped, confusing Mott. "I beg of you, please spare Stannis of any punishment for the sins he has done to you. Please, let him return back to the Academy of Magic in one piece and-."

"The Academy of Magic?" Mott asked and Siesta nodded. " _Hmph_. Perhaps I will have a use for you, after all, _Stannis_."

Mott ordered his guards to release him, knowing Stannis should have calmed down by now.

"You can provide a service to me that can benefit both of us." Mott continued. "You see, there is a special book I am in need of for my collection, said to hold the power of flame magic and a deity within its very pages."

"What kind of book? If the book is something that is of legend, I wouldn't even bother anymore. Is it one worth so much you would actually trade for it with a living human?" Stannis asked, his voice suddenly groggy.

Mott wasn't even looking at him anymore; he was staring into a fire pit now. "A very special book, if I might say. It came here from a summoning experiment a long time ago, said to have come from a man dressed in red, and now resides as a family heirloom of a noble family in Germania. Their daughter is currently at the Institute."

Germania? Stannis thought. It was in the many books that Stannis read, said to be the powerhouse of the current kingdoms combined - more than the Iron Throne, according to history. But upon hearing of a "family in Germania," he immediately thought of hot-pink hair.

"I don't know if a stubborn old man has ever heard of her, but she is said to be of the Zerbst family. If you get it for me, I might consider your offer." Mott gave the final puzzle of Stannis thoughts.

"Kirche?" Stannis whispered.

* * *

"First I go soft and now I'm a damn courier." Stannis told himself, without any ears to listen.

He wasn't walking back to the Academy anymore, he was running, stopping occasionally, he only needed the book and Siesta will return, away from that arrogant prick. Stannis only needs a few moments with Kirche and he is going right back to Mott, who will hopefully give in his end of the bargain.

But in his haste, he thought of the book he was after since it was the only thing he had in his mind. Fire magic? Power must be what every magician must desire to request for a book of magic whose only power is to warm people, light a room . . . or burn. Fire was human creation, and Stannis knew it for its greater potential, but he'd rather not think of it now.

Soon, he noticed something coming forward, towards him. He recognized the sound of the gallop of a horse on dirt since he was on the road. He didn't get a glimpse of the rider, but he moved out the way to give way.

When the horse went past him, it moved right around and came towards Stannis, who almost drew his sword in retaliation. But as the horse came sideways, he quickly noticed pink hair riding on the back, looking down at him with a face that combined anger and annoyance. He sighed as it could only mean that Louise has actually come for him.

"I don't care what you are doing out here," she told. "Get on this horse and let's go home."

* * *

Right back in Louise's room, Stannis lied on a mattress on the floor, as requested by Louise since she refused to share a bed with him, and glared at the ceiling like it was on fire. He was thinking of Siesta, the girl he saved and felt had the most innocence he has ever seen, not Louise and the words she was saying to him.

"I don't get what you thought you would get, meddling with one of the most highest-ranking nobles of the Palace," Louise said, lying down on her bed. "You can't compare him and Guiche, they are too different people with an unequal amount of power."

Stannis lifted his head up, peering at her over the mattress. "What about Siesta? I can't just leave her there with that arrogant prick. I have never seen a lord who mocks the people they expect to work for them."

Louise moved on her side. "I thought you were once a King? I would expect a King to handle this sort of behavior among their lordships. I would also expect a person like you to treat your servants like they were beneath you since you have no inclination to stop when you speak to other lords here."

Stannis then sat right up, his face giving Louise an uneasy look.

"I only had a single demesne," Stannis revealed. "I only had few servants, and I barely ever meet other lords, and I . . . never mind, I don't want to talk about it."

At that moment, Stannis thought of his family name, he never ever did since he arrived. He realized he was the last of his kind, in a different world far away from where any ship could travel. For now, House Baratheon was extinct, but House Baratheon of Dragonstone will never die while Stannis is still alive. But it is a title he will never get back, so he has to forge his own destiny now. His destiny will start as a hero.

Though Louise didn't have much respect for peasants, she shared his unease about his two pains of the servant and his original life. She spent years at the Institute, Siesta came after her. She personally supported Stannis will to save Siesta, but she couldn't think of the consequences if he was to fail. In Louise's mind, she would rather deny him his service than let him see his path through.

"Well, it doesn't matter now." Louise told "You might as well forget about Siesta. There is no way you are going back there without my consent and I swear by Brimir I will pretend like you are just a bandit if you ever return. Go to sleep, Stannis. You just might forget about her that way the next day."

Louise turned herself over on the other side, blew out the only candle, and went limp, trusting that her own words would convince the worried man into forgetting, but Stannis seemed not to hear her. He only studied the ceiling with that bored, misguided and blank face he had.

Stannis was thinking of a way to break Siesta out if his bargaining route failed to succeed. He already got a glimpse of a number of guards who protected the home at night: less than fifty, but most don't look like they could expect a tired veteran to barge inside and bring them to their knees. Time was perilously short. Siesta could be molested at any moment by that bastard Count Mott, and Stannis' only honor and virtue told him he had to break her out. He had to do it. And it was stressing him to the point that not even Kirche's body can cure him of it, but she had the book he needed to get her back.

Stannis watched as Louise was snoring herself to sleep on her side of the cotton bed, deep down under her blankets. He stroked her hair, wanting to know if she was fast asleep, and there was no reaction to the sensation of his rough hand's touch. She was asleep, like a dragon that Stannis didn't want to wake up.

As careful as a thief, he got on his knees and literally crawled his way out of the bed and out the door, giving only a tiny bang on the door to give away his position. But Louise was too into her sleep to notice the room's scent has gotten more perfume and less dirt.

* * *

Kirche opened the door, a few seconds after Stannis knocked, and she smiled at the person she opened it to. Her face went from boredom to complete show of lust in an instant and undone the strap that held her nightgown's breasts. Stannis' face was completely blank and he was wearing his armor and sword, he hasn't come to do it a third time, he had to get the book from her quickly and get Siesta out.

"Come in, Stannis." Kirche urged, but instead, she pulled him in and closed the door.

Stannis didn't push her off as she came up to him and kissed his lips, adding lots of tongue into his mouth. Kirche made him touch her breasts, the sensation felt soft and they both were being turned on. She held onto him until they both reached the bed, and Kirche climbed on and spread her legs, exposing the area she needed to be touched the most.

All was going well until Stannis noticed liquid already sinking into her sheets. Kirche noticed too and her face went to embarrassment. Stannis was disgusted, not at the liquid but at the fact a noble could have the libido of the most perverted of Stormlander's - Stannis' older brother filled the hole perfectly.

"I waited for you so long I had to handle it myself. But I guess you can help me in the aftermath." her voice turning back sultry.

Stannis wasn't one to end the mood, but he had to, for Siesta's sake he had to break the mood and get the hell back to Mott. "Actually there is a reason I came here, not for the lust. Shocking, I know. I am looking for something that you currently in possession of, not your body."

Kirche appeared shocked, she could tell he wasn't foreplaying, his face was serious. "Oh? Then what does my lover need of me in a time of distress, it is the least I could do for my lover?"

This was his opportunity, he had to take it. "I heard your family is in possession of a book, dubbed the 'Book of Fire,' and I need it to . . . seal a deal."

"Oh, you mean my family heirloom?" Kirche said.

She then flicked her hand and manipulated gravity to bring out a book from under her bed, showing Stannis there are other types of magic then fire – despite the fact Stannis' face remained blank, he was actually impressed by it.

"I'm not like Tabitha, books don't interest me," Kirche continued. "I never even opened the case, but it is said it contains the knowledge of the days where fire was the power of my family. But they already copied it into a few more books for each of my family members, so I can always get another, though outsiders, like the lord you want to settle you deal with, have no knowledge of it. So I will give it to you."

Stannis then walked up to the bed, taking her final say as a signal he can have it. But as soon as his palm touched the case, Kirche pulled him towards her, now in the same position, Stannis pleased her the other two nights with. Stannis wasn't turned on anymore, just annoyed at her lustfulness.

"In return, I will take you out on a date, let the world know that I am old enough and with a man, I actually like and consummate it as lovers should. What do you say?"

Stannis then violently pulled himself off and threw Kirche back onto the bed. Kirche was shocked until she realized she indirectly called him a whore, causing her to quiver in fear. She just brought out Stannis' most violent part.

"What is it with you nobles and your arrogance?" Stannis hissed. "Can't I have an easy day without a lord wanting this in return for this and now you want me to date you for a book? No. I'm not a whore, I lay when I want to lay, not because I need something. I **needed** something."

Kirche was stunned, at a loss for words. Stannis could actually resist her charm, he needed something and she wanted something for herself. She was ashamed, a feeling she hasn't felt since her childhood, to the point she couldn't say anything. Her lover was angry and she couldn't do a thing about it now, the parts that made her a woman couldn't help her here, not now.

She just watched as her lover stomped towards the door, but he didn't leave without saying, "As soon as I walk through **this** door, don't follow me. And above all, don't tell Louise." Stannis concluded, slamming the door behind him.

Kirche was left alone. Three nights ago she was willing to give him her body to help his stress, and Stannis came back again to relieve himself. Lots of things were different about tonight. The way the moon lighted the room and the candles going out by running out of wax than the force of two bodies creating wind magic gave her much unease. Their relationship was starting to dwindle, and this terrified Kirche since she chose a Familiar King to end her virginity than another noble could shame her bloodline forever.

A few minutes later of thinking, she got right up and went to her bed. She just kept to his words of not telling Louise of what he was about to do, but what could he do? She only saw him fight once, could he possibly mean to take on an entire embargo by himself. He can't be **that** stubborn, Kirche thought.

…

An hour later, thanks to his energy and a long drink of water, Stannis was back at the second destination of his adventures in Tristain. It was only a few hours since he left and most of the lanterns weren't lit, giving him a chance to sneak in. He was shocked that Kirche could take him for a whore, ready to do anything for something in return. He was disgusted with her, but he didn't hate her, just annoyed. This wasn't about Kirche anymore; this is about his final two options now. If only he had a red priestess with him, he wouldn't need to do this.

He looked down at his sword. Steel was about to face off against magic - if he managed to get through the guards. It at least felt sturdy in his hand, but it wasn't enough to get his confidence to the point he needed to pull this off, he was a suicidal raider for sure. But he remembered the day he assaulted King's Landing, half his men burned with wildfire and he still had the gull to lead a desperate assault for his goal; the goal for victory, no matter the cost of his own life. **That** was who Stannis Baratheon was to people and himself: a man who would do anything to complete his goal, even if he had to sacrifice anything.

Stannis knew a man of high authority in this world would have high magical powers, but he wasn't going to let the girl he saved just recently to the groping hands of a man with such terrible manners, terrible sense of manly fashion and treating women as if they are objects to be toyed with. He didn't like Siesta's position; he couldn't leave her there. He had two choices: go in, sword in hand, and break her out or let her lilies be sullied by the Count. His old mind told him to do the latter but his new personality told him to do the former. Did he care if he started a war in this world? No, because he doesn't have any house to protect, and he can certainly count on Louise to deny the claim of her Familiar - for Stannis' sake, he hoped she would if he fails. Stannis was turning soft for women, not for men. His leg was healed to fight for Louise the day he fought Guiche and now he is healed to fight for Siesta now.

He then approached the gate, but luckily there was no guards here, nothing but an unlit sentry. In a turn of luck, the gate wasn't locked at all and he just pushed it open and entered. Perhaps he underestimated the guard of this estate? He was walking past multiple statues and properly trimmed gardens with no guards in sight.

No eyes were onto Stannis, only the ugly statues that surrounded the gardens. Mood killers wall, thought Stannis as if the face of Mott wasn't ugly enough he had to place it all around the yards on statues. In his mind, he wondered if this is literally the best the world of Tristain has to offer to a lord because it was much better than what he got as the "true" King of Westeros. He didn't get a good look at the house from the outside while the guards were shoving him in. The house of the Count was much larger than anything he could ever imagine like a second Summerhall was built in this very area. But he can expect more for a more powerful lord, even royalty. Stannis was in dreamland now, almost forgetting about his goal, looking around and picturing his face on every statue. It was like heaven on Earth. He wanted to own it, but he couldn't, he had to prove himself first.

Again, he didn't notice a guard approach him. "Halt!" the guardsman called out.

" _Seven hells_ ," Stannis whispered, gripping his sword tightly. His luck just ran out just as he was fantasizing about the style of the home.

"You are on private property, old man." the guard insulted, approaching closer and closer to Stannis' reach from behind. "If this is about the book, you should have waited outside for guard to bring you in, but now you- "

He was literally cut off by the sight of a sword. It went backwards and slashed the guard in the leg, gushing blood into the air and right onto the pavement below.

"Argh!" he screamed, tumbling down on the ground, gripping his leg while his blood spilled from his wound and Stannis' sword.

Stannis wasn't going to kill him, he didn't want to kill him, but he did incapacitate him enough for him to recover. The scream was indeed loud enough to attract attention. A few more guards came running into the direction of the loud vibration.

They came and saw the wounded man and the perpetrator standing over him, showing too much to justify their next actions. "You'll die for this!" one screamed.

But at that point, Stannis' mind became open and he was reminded of an event he did before. He thought of dark waters . . . Blackwater. He remembers how he charged into battle after a dwarf's magic trick and remembers how he charged into the fires of King's Landing and survived. This may not have been a city, but he couldn't help but remember the adrenaline that day, the one that made him fight to the death and never gave up. This was exactly that time.

Then the guards charged at him, spears intending to skewer the old man once and for all. Stannis rune was lit. He noticed it. It glowed from beneath his neck chainmail, and he suddenly felt light on his feet, like his energy wasn't needed this fight. He charged towards the three, fire in his eyes as he locked onto their crippling points.

* * *

Louise was still in her room, no snores could break her adorableness, even when sleeping. She deserved the nap since she looked all over the Academy for her missing Familiar King and had to go a few miles on horseback just to bring him back to her room, she was exhausted. Though she knew that Stannis wasn't a man to sleep, she slept on the knowledge that Stannis would give up his mission to free Siesta from Mott since he didn't have the book to bargain with nor the army to bust her out; he was just one man.

Then she felt tugging on her bedsheets, followed by a voice that ordered, "Wake up, Louise!"

"Huh?" Louise exclaimed, voice as low as a gush of wind. "Please, just go back to sleep, Stannis. I already told you."

But there was another tug, hard enough to wake her from a deep sleep. Louise was awoken completely, her groggy eyes fixed on her dream-wrecker. She was ultimately shocked to realize it was Kirche with her blue-haired friend, Tabitha, behind her.

"Kirche?" Louise questioned, puzzled by the intrusion. "What are you doing in my bedchambers? Come to ask me permission to bed the Familiar King?"

Kirche's face wasn't grinning anymore, she was serious. "No. But your Familiar King is missing, from my bedchambers and from yours."

Louise lit her lamp up in great haste. She walked over from the side of her bed and confirmed her suspicion when she saw the mattress didn't have a sleeper on it, causing her veins to show themselves out of stress. She thought Stannis was finally loyal to her, and now she knows now not to think of him too highly. "Why does this sort of things keep happening to me?" she asked.

Kirche chuckled, holding onto her cheeks. "That's the greatest trait in a man who fell so low and trying to get to the top: independence even in service."

"That's easy for you to say!" Louise shrieked. "You're not the one who spend a full afternoon searching for some disobedient old man only to find out he went to see one of the highest-ranking nobles of the palace! Now he's probably there to deliver that book he said he wanted. I just hope it would end peacefully."

Kirche's face turned from lovey-dovey to pure fear. "Actually, he never got the book from me."

Louise looked at her, confused. "What?"

"I might have, unessentially, ended up indirectly called him a whore. So he stormed off. He told me not to follow him, but I am guessing he did go back to the noble to . . . seal his deal. But how? I don't know."

Louise calculated the situation now and was shocked at what she concluded. Stannis didn't have the book but he bore a sword. If he was heading back there with the intentions of getting Siesta back, that can only mean one thing.

" **OH NO**!" Louise screamed, almost scaring Kirche. "He's going to try and break her out! That stubborn old fool. He's going to get himself killed and I will never get another familiar to discipline, ever. We need to stop him. **Now**!"

Kirche panicked. "It's been an hour already; it'll already be too late."

"Y-You waited an hour to tell me this, why?" Louise demanded, her eyes burning up.

"I would presume calling for you would have been the opposite of what he would want, but I couldn't help but tell you yourself," Kirche replied, gaining back her composure.

Louise then grunted and flopped herself back into her bed, glaring at nothing but the ceiling. Stannis was definitely going to be killed. The man may have handled Guiche but he's going to take on an entire contingent of guards plus a powerful magician. "Well then, if he was fighting right now, there is nothing we can do about it. We can't catch up with him now."

"Sylphid can take us," Tabitha whispered, only just loud enough to catch the two's attention.

Sylphid was the name of Tabitha's dragon, commonly called Tabitha's "twin" due to the two having the same color of the latter's hair and the former's skin. Only Tabitha knew of its origin, but it wasn't what they were after anymore. They needed something that can get to Stannis quickly and Tabitha had the transport.

* * *

Stannis saw an opening at his final (until he gets into the mansion) opponent's knee and swung his sword at it, hitting his target as the guard fell useless with pain. It was the final obstacle that transpired after a whole chain of fighting, cutting and repeat.

Stannis was covered with blood, but none of it was his own. He just finished incapacitating dozens of guards, and a few dogs, in the very square he stared his own battle, not breaking a sweat. He was hoping for more of a challenge, but could only stare in disgust at the crying and screaming bodies of wounded men around him. If he had to have it his way, he would have executed them instantly with decapitations and stabs, but he couldn't nor did he want to, he only came for the girl.

He didn't question why he was doing this or why he feels like a psychopath, all he knows is that he isn't going to stop now. A young girl's purity was in need of his saving.

He wanted to rest, but he knew there were more to go through before he gets Siesta back. He isn't going to let anything stop him. He was like an entire army combined into one man, just like when he fought out of a Bolton cavalry charge – just barely. This was his time to show what kind of person he was, and he isn't going to let magicians stop him, even in death.

He approached the mansion's front door with zero caution, barely wanting to waste any more energy than he has left to free Siesta from the remaining obstacles. He pushed the door open and was immediately greeted with the sounds of reloading coming from above him.

He looked up and saw on the second level guards were holding crossbows aimed towards him, with Count Mott finally showing his face on the stairs, staring at him with understandable rage. Stannis only stared blankly, not caring if he dies today, and only raised his sword to his shoulders, giving him a rest from fighting.

"Crossbows?" Stannis chuckled, voice as breathless as ever. "I didn't think this world would ever need projectile weapons, since, you know, you have magic. But if it is meant to execute a man who took out your entire outside guard before he reaches you, then I call you **Craven** from now on."

Mott took it as an offense, more than when Stannis called him a "cunt," and walked slowly down the stairs wielding a massive staff in his hands, metal with ornate gold around it.

"You literally cut down an entire contingent of my guards just to save a girl!?" Mott yelled from afar. "You come into my home and this is what you do to me!?"

"Hey, you didn't give me any bread and salt when I came in," Stannis replied. "And a person as arrogant and disrespectful as you should enjoy it that a peasant is killing even more peasants. Besides, I didn't even kill any of them, only the ones who count, I just merely wounded them so you don't spend too lively on their injuries. I only want the girl. You wanted to keep the girl. Give her back and I won't harm another of your household, even you!"

"First you mocked me, then you mocked my guards, and now you mock my strength!" Mott yelled back. "You come back to my home and cut a path through my guards just to convince me to let you have your little girlfriend back!? No! I gave you an order on what to do. You couldn't retrieve a single book so now you thought your only option is to break her out?"

"Pretty much," replied Stannis, his voice suddenly snide. "It is your funeral, Mott. If I were you, I would take it."

"Stand aside guards!" Mott ordered, stepping down the stairs to the first level. "I will teach this disgusting peasant how a REAL noble fight."

The guards stood down, to the delight of Stannis, but it foreshadowed the inevitable: A Westerosi King against as Tristainian Noble. One will fight with a sword, the other with magic. Stannis already fought magic and won, but wasn't prepared to fight a prepared one. But did her care? He only raised his sword from his shoulders and held it, aiming towards the Count's neck.

Mott in return pulled out his staff and a magic aura of water swirled around him. Stannis noticed the water coming out of nearby vases, brought in using a magical force, and used for a magical source instead of a source for thirst. This was the magic he was waiting to see, not summoning magic or another one but **actual** magic, bringing in a magical force to fight enemies with. Stannis can say he was slightly intimidated, but he stood his ground, not letting a man as ugly as Mott bring him down instantly with water.

Stannis didn't waste any time with an insult, he roared and charged at Mott, sword intending to skewer the Count and win it quickly. Mott in return sent a massive river of water magic his way, to which Stannis dodged out of the way, landing perfectly right next to river before it passed him and hit the back wall.

Stannis rune was the brunt of his out-of-strength dodge, it gave him too much power than he needed to lose.

"Give up, Stannis!" Mott yelled, annoyed at his opponent's willpower. "You cannot beat magic. You're just stalling your greatest lose to Count Mott!"

Stannis got up, his eyes as furious as ever. "If you have ever met me, former world or now, you should know this one thing: I never quit!"

"I match your physical strength, but it is not what is going to get me my victory. You cannot match my power of magic. You are only a peasant; of which I have beaten hundreds!"

Stannis charged again, this time faster than before. This was what Mott wanted, him to be right in his sight, and there was no limitation with his magic and Stannis didn't have the magic to counter or at least dodge a speeding shot. Stannis was too stubborn to even know he can't win this fight; he was lucky with Guiche.

Again, Mott sent his water magic at him, but only this time Stannis' reaction time was out of whack. Stannis was struck and sent flying backwards, landing back-first on the stone, almost crippling him if the aura around him faded off. The swordsman was at the mercy of the mage, a peculiar position no one wants to be in.

Mott took the chance. He generated enough water magic up into the air and rose it above Stannis. The weakened warrior looked up and saw the magic above him, not terrified of the water but when the water turned to ice turned into daggers right above him. He was in the iron maiden now, and he didn't have the strength to react.

"Die, Stannis!" screamed Mott, really hoping to remove a thorn from his feet.

Stannis didn't scream, he only closed his eyes. He wasn't mad, he tried his chances against a mage and now realized he didn't stand a chance, especially to one who has the magic to manipulate physics, not using blood. He already experienced the horror of near death, so he wasn't scared, as long as it ended his depression quickly.

"Well, at least I die noble, not a murderer," Stannis said, holding his breath as the water started to move onto his face.

After saying his own death, noises from outside the chamber echoed right through the stone walls. A gush of magic that swept away the tide about to drown Stannis heralded the sudden arrival of three girls who came in and stopped the death of Stannis. Stannis wasn't shocked at all, nor did he even spin around to see who it was, only mad as he knew who would stop such a noble death.

"WHAT IS THIS!" screamed Mott as his crossbowmen aimed again.

Stannis then decided to look back and was greeted with the face of a very angry girl. Stannis only giggled at Louise's attempt to show him anger, even though it only made her cuter.

…

Stannis found himself back in the same room where he greeted Mott, but only this time he had a couple crossbows being pointed at his head. He only slightly chuckled at the thought they thought of him as so dangerous they have to literally deploy guards to keep him from reacting. It was indeed him who managed to incapacitate a dozen guards and dogs, but he lost immediately to a mage. He can admit it was a good lose, but he is shocked he isn't killed yet – it wasn't his intention, but it would have at least been a good relief. The people must be honorable fools to let Stannis Baratheon live, and it made no sense to do so. He watched a few meters behind the three girls chatting with the Count of something he could barely hear. Every step he took to try and get a better hearing of the conversation was halted by the crossbows, almost inclining him to continue the war.

Louise stood up straight and tried her best to keep herself on a higher level than the angry noble in front of her. She took in his complaints like kneeling before a king, but this isn't on her part, it was on Stannis. He single-handedly put her in this position and she has to pay for his sins since he acts on her part, no matter what degree it might be, whether ordered or not.

"The level of the Institute's pupils has fallen considerably!" Mott insulted, crossing his arms. "I will have Osmond reprehended for this and Stannis will be punished accordingly for the heinous crimes to nobility."

"I beg your pardon, Count Mott," Louise spoke up, kneeling before Mott. "The misconduct of my Familiar means a misconduct of me. On behalf of Stannis, my familiar, I will take on any punishment you are ready to put forth, but I only ask for mercy on this day."

Stannis was almost stunned; the little girl was actually mature. Louise knelt down and spoke like she actually respects people, unlike what Stannis witnessed for the past seven days since he arrived.

"Don't kneel, Louise," Stannis hissed, moving up with the crossbows following him. "I was the one who sinned and defied your orders. Let me kneel in your place for the pain this all has brought."

Louise ignored him.

"A peasant to march and wound guards loyal to nobility and to try and murder a noble is punishable to the highest degree ever known." continued Mott, not letting Louise's nobility stop him. "You, the Familiar and your entire family will face the consequences of your crimes!"

When Louise started to show shock, Stannis tried to stomp up, not caring at the crossbows ready to fire, until he was stopped by Kirche who pushed her own lover back and stepped forward.

"Pardon me, Count Mott," Kirche said, using her trademark flirtatious voice. "I propose we make a deal.

Kirche then reached down into her skirt and started to place her hand inside, fondling around inside, even though she was clearly looking for something. Thought Mott took it in as an offering of lust with his sweating and red face, Stannis was the one who remained chaste, knowing full well what she has finally decided to bring, stressing him out at why she didn't give it to him in the first place.

"My lover told me a certain assailant had a tremendous desire over this book," Kirche then revealed the case, shining brown leather. "I believe that person is you."

Kirche then bowed but didn't bend her knee before him. "Pardon my delayed introduction, but my name is Kirche von Zerbst."

Mott then jumped right up from his seat, his face says it all. "You're a Zerbst? Then that must be-"

"The family heirloom," Kirche said, stretching the book closer to Mott. "You can have it if you can forgive us."

Mott then grabbed it, giving a clear indication he accepts. "The power of fire, the one who gave the Zerbst family its name, now in my hands. The fire engraved onto paper. One of the first to combine fire and blood into a single fortune, now in my hands." Mott said, astonished than ever.

Mott didn't need the case anymore, he only wanted to book. The sight of the book's cover made Stannis almost have a mental episode. The book's cover was red, not conveniently, and was noticed to have something that only Stannis could recognize: a fiery red heart that resembled his.

Stannis gripped his chest, he was shocked, trying to hide the sigil on his chest away from the rest of the group. He can take the Valyrian looks of the headmaster, almost too much, but upon seeing the resemblance of his chest and the front page was too convenient.

"Stannis? That symbol is your–" Louise cut herself off upon seeing Stannis' face.

Stannis removed his hand from his chest, noticing he already failed to conceal it, and everyone got a glimpse of the uncanny resemblance of the flaming heart with a stag on the center of his chest plate to the book's flaming heart with zero stags. He only stood there, eyes down and sweating, water marks dripping onto his armor.

The four took suspicion but kept questions to themselves after seeing the look on Stannis' face. This definitely wasn't the time to ask questions, another time when he didn't just try to fight his way into a lord's house. Though this is one of the first times they actually saw Stannis sweat, he was afraid, like it's done something in the past, which is unsurprising considering he emerged from the smoke of Louise's blast a wounded man.

Stannis himself knew exactly what that symbol meant: the fiery heart of the Lord of Light, the only god from his world he believed in, and he still does because he saw it do things no one else can do in Westeros. He worshiped the Lord, he sacrificed people to the Lord, he helped a red priestess give birth to a creature before the Lord - unknowing to him, though – and he thought he can actually rule the Seven Kingdoms under the Lord.

But where was the Lord here? He literally kept the mark as his final trademark, since no one would recognize a washed-up veteran – unless it was in the Institute among students. He didn't care of heresy to use the Lord like this but was astonished to meet a familiar sight of home right on the front page of a book.

"The Book of R'hllor, the Lord of Light."

Mott then looked up – in fact, everyone looked at Stannis. Stannis knew exactly where it came from and what it truly means. He then approached the Count, slowly to give the crossbowmen time to walk as well. "If you want to live a life made to burn those around you, then read it," Stannis continued. "But if you want to be the purest of men, without guilt or chance of indoctrination . . . **burn it**."

Mott only glared at him with thunderous fury. It was understandable he wasn't going to take any more of Stannis and his impending words anymore. Stannis tried to chop his head off, so why should he listen to him talk about a book?

"You should consider yourself lucky, Stannis." hissed Mott. "A book for the funding of the dozens of guards you just wounded trying to release your little bride, plus the shock you gave me when you tried to cut me in half. At least I got the satisfaction of almost drowning you in the end."

It was then Mott got up and bent forward, in the same position was Stannis, gripping the other end, and stared deeply into the warrior's eyes. Kirche, Louise, and Tabitha looked worried – though the latter didn't show it, she did sweat a bit – as the two locked eyes at one another. Stannis' ones burnt coal, like a defensive stag, while Mott's ones burnt nothing but hatred, no animal matched.

"I never want to SEE you again. I don't ever want to hear the name _Stannis_ ever again, EVER, it is a crime to me now. Next time we cross paths, I will show you my true power, got it?"

Stannis pushed himself up from the table and nodded, giving no facial expression of inclination of a rivalry. He then left the room in a haste. It wasn't the lack of wine that made Stannis' head wind up. Even Louise was confused since she saw him walking around with that sigil on his chest and once brought up he turned in a vulnerable man. What Stannis has found was his personal problem, not hers, and she already got him out of one problem, so why should she care for another right now? Her only desire now is to get Stannis home and away from all of this, not continue on questioning him. Maybe in due time then, Louise thought.

…

"Red capes?" Stannis quivered, pushing himself against the wall, just a few meters from the entrance. It was the first thing that popped into his mind after the revelation, and it hurt more than the cut of a sword.

With red capes, he saw fire. With fire, he saw magic. With magic, he saw a bitch barely worth remembering. But he knew what she was: a red priestess, a servant of the Lord of Light. Was it a red priest who started the whole Zerbst family? Was Kirche really a descendant of Westeros or Essos? Possibly. None of this made sense at all, it can lead to hundreds of possibilities of how Stannis' world and this world have in common. If there are ties to each other's world then that means there are three links Tristain has with Westeros: Kirche's family, Osmond's valyrian features and now Stannis is here as an actual Westerosi man; an outcast.

Stannis started to get dizzy. This was all too much for him to handle, even if he was the one who got himself into this mess. It didn't make sense, but what could he do? Research? He wasn't the type to study nor did he have the equipment, only books to read. All he told himself to do was keep it in his mind, since it isn't much of concern now, especially when he only been here a week.

He was then approached by Louise who followed him. "Get moving, Stannis."

"Yes, I don't intend to stay in this mansion anymore, let's just go already," Stannis said, walking out the door and into the night, having no choice but to conceal his suspicions.

He eyed his transportation back to the Academy: the dragon. It was one of a kind, even though it didn't seem the sort to take over an entire continent with, and he was going to be the first Baratheon in history to ride one. It was once in a lifetime, and he decided to take it with stomping towards the wings.

"Stannis, wait," Kirche said, running up behind him. "If you won't date me, then can he still be lovers? It would be a disappointment if I lost my virginity to a king and it just ended the way it did over a book."

"Okay, okay," Stannis said, hurrying to get away from the mansion once and for all. "But I will never date you, but at least you can live knowing you bedded a king twice in one week. My desires may be hypocritical, but you sure as hell don't care about it. I will only satisfy you when needed, but I will part ways with you if I want to."

"I can live with that," Kirche said, mounting the dragon before Stannis.

As Louise and Tabitha came out and mounted the dragon's top half, Kirche and Stannis took up the back. As the dragon started to take off and started to fly, Stannis ended up gripping Kirche's chest tightly, fearing for his life every time he looked down and saw he wasn't on the ground anymore, making Kirche chuckle as Stannis didn't realize he was actually using her breasts as leverage.

* * *

Stannis tried to tell Louise everything, the fact it was the rune on his neck that gave him power, not only at the estate but a lot when he fought against Guiche, but she didn't listen to him, she was too angry, more at the fact he wasn't explaining his actions at the estate. Her anger was understandable to anyone, considering he almost started a war with the Mott and Vallière just to save a girl. At least there was no point to a slap anymore, he already felt the cut of spears.

The worst part about it is, Stannis didn't even know what he was thinking when he did it either. He punched himself a few times until he realized this wasn't what he would do, but he also remembered it was Siesta's innocence that made him so protective, but it turned out better than expected. But he remembered his old trait, mentioned by himself and confirmed by the headmaster: stubbornness. He was stubborn since the day he landed on King's Landing, during when he marched upon Winterfell and when he faced Guiche and now when he personally wounded over twenty guards and almost killed the Count to save a girl's purity.

But at least he wasn't alone, he was with Siesta.

"Thank you for all you've done, Stannis." said Siesta, bowing her torso before her savior.

Stannis smiled, though it was more of a grin passing off as a smile. "It was Kirche who ended up saving us all, it was only my honor that made me protect you.

"What explains your protection of women, is it a moral and chivalrous code from where you come from?" Siesta foolishly asked, unaware chivalry is completely foreign to Stannis.

He wanted to tell her badly of the event, but he couldn't, she would never want to see him again. Only he knows why he is protective of women, and only him. He can't let anyone else know what he has done that broke him into a caring man. No one was ready at all to know his past, no one at all.

"Someday, but not today," Stannis told. "If you knew now, I could never forgive myself."

He couldn't tell her, but every time he sees her all he sees is black hair, but no part of her had the disease the girl he pictures her with. It was unorthodox to compare her, but every woman he sees now is a woman to protect, especially after all he has done. Before he came, he was awkward with women, even his wife, but now he feels something for them, for a girl as innocence as Siesta, a will to protect, a will to be a man. Even if he has the cut down a legion of nobility to protect a girl, he would do it.

"Stannis," Siesta said, caressing Stannis' cheek. "Thanks for saving my purity, even if you are a hypocrite."

She kissed him, on the cheek, missing his lips by two inches. Stannis wasn't prepared for a kiss as his reward. She didn't let go until she pulled away after ten seconds and walked away, leaving Stannis in the night.

Stannis touched his cheek. His face went from blank to confusion. He wasn't satisfied . . . at all. Though to him, it was the principal thing that matters the most, saving a girl is probably the most heroic thing he has done, but it wasn't enough to get rid of the demons haunting him like ghosts. He knows he has to do more in order to rehabilitate himself.

* * *

In the light of the two moons, Stannis finally found Louise by the stables, leaning against the wood and facing him with her eyes closed. He couldn't fathom how angry she could be with him, but he had to take it like the man he was, and Louise was most likely waiting for an explanation for all this, for all he has done. He wouldn't run away from her because he has nowhere to go but the wild.

Stannis then approached her. "Louise I have to tell you that I had to-"

She slapped him, then grabbed him by the collar and yelled, "What the _ffff-ffu_ . . . What were you thinking!? You single-handedly almost got yourself killed and assaulted a man of noble blood! All for what? **A MAID**!"

Stannis pushed away.

"I already told you I wasn't going to let a woman of purity get –"

She slapped him again.

"Will you please be gentle. I don't think you should-"

She slapped him twice.

"It was my honor who brought me forth to fight for her!"

That staved her hand.

"Honor?" she chuckled, rubbing her hands together. "What kind of honor tells you to disobey my commands and literally go forth into a noble's home and hack your way past dozens of guards just to save a woman, especially one who could have become higher in the world just by bedding with a noble?!"

Stannis spat on the ground and patted his face. "It was **MY** honor that told me not to let a girl, especially one like her, to ever get her body spoiled by a man with a terrible sense of facial hair than a decent man, one that she loved. I'm not that man, but at least she has a chance at finding one. If I would do it again, I would."

"No, you will not do it again," Louise said, turning around in defiance. After the amount of stress, she was put through trying to get to Stannis for the past seven days, it was brought down to absolute dissolution. Maybe she wasn't ready to be a master. But Stannis wasn't servant material, he was a warrior.

"Louise," Stannis called, starting to walk up. "Doesn't this at least tell you how great I am with fighting, especially when fighting men? I took my sword and single-handedly brought a dozen men to their knees and-"

Louise spun around and yelled, "But you almost died to a noble and disgraced me!"

The two locked eyes. Stannis heeded her words dearly and realized it was indeed a magic user who took him down. He looked down to his sword and also realized it didn't have any magic, rendering it useless in the eyes of any noble, even if it indeed took down a previous noble but that was because the rune on his neck gave him powers when it was unlocked, but it isn't what he was looking for now.

"Look, Stannis," Louise said, her voice suddenly calmed down. "I have had enough for today and I really just want to get some sleep. I won't bother punishing you since you will just wouldn't care or you will just get what's been taken away from you back. I . . . I just have had enough. Good night, Stannis."

Louise then started to walk away in the direction of the school.

"Wait, Louise," Stannis yelled, not reaching very far as Louise kept walking. "Is it possible . . . y'know, for a peasant out of this world to get magic? Louise!?"

But his pleas were only wind now.

Stannis only sat down on the grass and looked at his two hands, they were still covered with foreign blood. They couldn't generate magic from anything, and he wasn't going to hold his own if he was to face another noble. His final question was actually a meaning, he wanted to know if he can actually become a noble in this world, he didn't want to stay a peasant forever and the only way to get rid of the term is to have magic, but he knows he doesn't have magic, but they must have a way to make an exception. Luckily for Stannis, he had plenty of books to read next morning, because he is going to need to for his study instead of wasting his mind on the foreign kingdoms.


End file.
